


Prompts!!

by sam_bird



Series: Prompts for y'all ♡ [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Eating Disorders, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Sad Ian Gallagher, Sad Mickey Milkovich, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 38,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27046903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sam_bird/pseuds/sam_bird
Relationships: Debbie Gallagher/Sandy Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich/Trevor, Ian Gallagher/Trevor
Series: Prompts for y'all ♡ [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974052
Comments: 81
Kudos: 116





	1. Prompts!!

Hey everyone!! This is a bunch of Shameless one shots because I'm a simp for that show-  
Requests are very welcome, except for smut  
Enjoy!!


	2. Safe Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: Fem gallavich, one of them having an eating disorder or suicidal thoughts preferably female Ian, or Sandy and Debbie but I would prefer fem gallavich
> 
> TRIGGER:  
> Eating disorder  
> Suicidal thoughts  
> Brief mention of self harm 
> 
> Ian is Lillian, Mickey is Mikayla

*Mikayla's POV*

"Fuck..." I finished wrapping my knuckles and slammed the bathroom door behind me. 

"Get yourself into another fight?" Mandy teased and handed me a cigarette.

"Go to hell," I rolled my eyes and grabbed my lighter. "Little fucker was asking for a beating."

"Mhm, totally." She laughed and grabbed her bag. "I'm heading out, don't know when I'll be back."

As soon as the front door closed, I picked up my phone and quickly dialed the only number I've ever cared enough to memorize. 

"Hello?" Lillian's voice came through the other line. 

"Hey gorgeous. Nobody's home, come over. I'll pop in a movie or some shit." I leaned against the counter and grinned. 

"I-I can't Mick, not today..." She sighed, and I could hear loud music in the background. 

"Everything ok?" I was genuinely worried, not that I would ever tell that to anyone besides Ivy. 

"Just family shit, you get it."

"You take your meds yet? Sounds stressful, I don't want you to freak out."

"Listen, I'll call you when I get the chance, ok? I love you." 

With that, Ian hung up and I was left in shock. She's never said that to me before. And she didn't answer the question. Something's wrong... 

I grabbed my jacket and ran down the street to the Gallagher's house. It was noisy, but not the same noise that was on the call. 

"Yo, Debbie!" I yelled and pounded on the door. "Lily in here?"

The door open and my second favorite Gallagher walked out. "Shut up, you're gonna wake Franny! And yeah, she's upstairs. She's been in a mood all day though." Debbie gave me a sympathetic smile and opened the door wider so I could come in. 

I ran upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door. "Ian, you in here?"

"Mikayla, I told you, I can't hang out today." Lillian mumbled, and I swear I could hear her sniffling. 

"You didn't sound ok over the phone, and I'm worried about you..." I tried to open the door but it was locked. 

"You don't need to worry about me anymore Mick, about your dad finding out. You're safe now. You don't have to put up with me anymore." Lillian sighed, almost sounding happy. 

"Lily, what are you talking about?!" I knew that she would get bad thoughts, but something like...that couldn't be happening, right? 

"It doesn't matter. I love you, never forget that, ok? I'll miss you."

"I'm fucking gonna break the door down if you don't open it!" I yelled, trying not to let the tears in my eyes fall. 

No answer. 

"Shit!" I moved back and jammed my shoulder against the door. The cheap lock broke almost instantly and Ian turned away from me. Her shoulders were raking with sobs. 

"Pl-Please, just leave m-me alone..." She sobbed, holding onto her knees tightly against her chest. I turned down the music so it wasn't so overpowering. 

"I'm not going to leave when I know you're like this. I'm not losing you, you're the best person I know. I love you." I went to her and kneeled in front of her. 

There were tears streaming down her face, a shakily-written letter sitting next to her. Two bottles of diet pills were in her hands and she was gripping them like her life depended on it. 

"Put the pills down, Ian...please, we can go one step at a time. But this is the first step, j-just give me the bottles"

Lillian finally dropped them with a shaking hand and curled up even smaller. I sighed with relief and hugged her tightly. Her frame was small and frail, a huge difference than a couple months ago. I couldn't help but wonder if those diet pills were new or not. 

"Shh, there you go...you're safe now, I've got you." I whispered and ran my fingers through her ginger hair. 

"I'm s-so sorry... I-I fucked up..." She cried into my shoulder. 

"It's ok, I'm not mad. We're gonna get you help, ok? A therapist, readjusting your meds, whatever you need. I'm here for you." I kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, trying to make her feel loved and comfortable. 

She nodded and moved closer into my arms. "Th-There's other stuff too..."

"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. But I'm here if you do." I kept twirling her auburn hair with my fingers. 

"I-I wanna tell you. You deserve t-to know..." She sat up and cleared her throat. "I started skipping meals a-and using diet pills. I don't kn-know what happened, one day I just...st-stopped...and I've b-burned myself before, but only once. A-And I know this is o-overwhelming, and I totally get it i-if you wanna break up or-"

"I'm staying, Gallagher. No amount of crazy is gonna push me away. I love you, so much, I'm not going away any time soon." I leaned in and kissed her gently. She smiled took my hand in her's. 

"Why the bandages?" She asked quietly and ran her fingers over the white cloth. 

"Please, that should be the least of your worries," I laughed. "Right now, what's most important is that you get the help you need, ok?" 

Lily nodded and rested her head against my shoulder. 

"But for now, let's just cuddle?" She asked. 

I smiled. "That's fine by me."


	3. A Gallavich Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: Hi! I would love to read something about Mickey meeting Monica? Maybe she isn't dead and Ian wants to invite her to the wedding but knows his siblings won't like it, and then Mickey realizes how important it is to Ian so he invites her? Or something like this...if you're up for it, I'd really appreciate it! 
> 
> This is extra special to me because I was rewatching Gallavich! recently and the part when Debbie and Ian talk about Monica made me cry. I'm really excited to show you all this chapter, and I hope you enjoy!!

*Ian's POV* 

"Alright, last invitation!" Sandy smiled at me and stood up. "I'm gonna go call the Bamboo Lotus and make sure they know what rooms to reserve." 

She left and Mickey grabbed the pile of cards addressed 'For the Gallagher Family'. 

"Remind me again why we needed to get cards for people who live in the same fucking house as us?" Mickey asked and playfully hit my arm with the papers. 

"It keeps things organized, something you know nothing about," I laughed, pointing to his dirty laundry thrown next to the door. "I can take those." 

"Nah, let me. It'll be like a bonding moment or some shit for my new in-laws," Mickey grinned and kissed me gently before thumbing through the letters. "Hey Ian, why isn't your mom in here?" 

"She...she probably won't come anyways. It's fine, I don't want Frank or Monica there." 

That was only half a lie. I didn't want Frank to fuck up my wedding like he did Fiona's, but Monica is actually nice. She helped me when I ran away, before I started taking meds. I know what she's feeling, and I don't blame her for the way she acts. But I know Lip and Fiona would go berserk if I even thought about inviting her so that's a major no. 

"You sure? You look upset." Mickey held the back of my neck and pulled me a little closer to him. 

"Just sad that you only gave me that brief kiss. I kinda wanted more..." I smirked and Mickey's eyebrows raised to his hairline. 

"Oh yeah, Firecrotch?" He whispered and got even closer. "Guess you'll have to wait bitch, I gotta deliver these letters." 

I laughed and shook my head as Mickey got up, winked and left the room. 

*Mickey's POV* 

I know Ian said he didn't want Monica to come to the wedding, but I can tell when he's lying. I've gotten pretty damn good at it these past 9 or so years. 

I walked down the stairs of the Gallagher house to the kitchen and saw Lip sitting at the table with Freddie. He gave a nod in my direction. 

"Sup, Mick?" He said, rocking the baby slowly. 

"Nothing much, just wondering about Monica. Ian's not inviting her to the wedding." I said slowly, trying to gauge Lip's reaction. 

But he just laughed. "Good. Fuck that bitch, she ruined our lives. She doesn't deserve to see how happy we are without her." 

I frowned and grabbed a cup of coffee. "You really wouldn't invite her if you and Tami got hitched? Wouldn't let her see Freddie?" 

"Hell no. Monica left us, that was her choice. She can't come crawling back now." Lip huffed and played with the sleeves of the baby's shirt. "I could never imagine leaving Freddie and Teri. There's no excuse for what she did to us." 

I wanted to scream at him. She has bipolar, and now that I've been through it first hand, I get it. I wouldn't blame Ian if he ran away because his meds were off, he's done it before and we got through it. Even if he stopped taking them altogether, I would help him, not blame him. 

But I just nodded and passed Lip his invitation. "I already know you're coming, but Ian says it keeps things organized or some shit." 

I went back upstairs, feeling my face flush with anger. Monica was important to Ian and she's fucking coming to the wedding. 

~• The Wedding Day •~ 

"You sure you don't want any concealer for that bruise?" Ian touched the red skin next to my eye softly as I finished knotting his bowtie. "I'm sure Sandy or Debbie or someone has a shade that's close enough." 

"It's fine, Ian," I smiled at him lazily. "I'm just happy that the wedding's still on. My fucking pig fucker of father isn't gonna ruin this day for us just by burning down a building." 

"I love you so much Mickey Milkovich..." Ian kissed me again for the billionth time today, not that I was complaining. 

"I love you more, Ian Gallagher..." I mumbled against his lips and pulled back. "Listen, I gotta go make sure everything is all set with that old bag doesn't find out she's hosting a gay wedding." 

"Don't get killed by the Fag-Fixer out front!" Ian laughed and kissed me goodbye. 

I walked out through the back door and went around front so nobody would see me. 

"Geneva, she here yet?" I walked up to the Disciples of Gay Jesus, which is still a shitty reminder of when Ian, y'know, fucking went to jail. 

"She just came in," Geneva grinned at me and pointed to a taxi in the parking lot. "I told her to wait until everyone else is already inside before she comes in." 

"Ok, I'm just gonna say hi and then I'll head back inside." I headed over to the taxi and opened the door. "Monica?" 

The small, blonde woman gasped and hugged me before I could resist. "You must be Mickey! Oh my goodness, it's so nice to finally meet you! Ian sends me cards about what he's been up to, and I was so happy to hear that you both got out of the slammer." 

She grinned and put her hand on my cheek. "You're so good for my Ian...oh, you're gonna be such a good husband and a good dad, I just know it." Monica hugged me again and, I'm not gonna lie, it felt nice to have a motherly figure's hug again. 

"Wow, you seem like the nicest chick ever, ok. Most of the people are already inside, so just wait a little longer and then you can come in, ok? Fiona and Lip won't start something in front of everyone, so once the wedding starts, you'll be safe." 

Monica nodded and I closed the door behind me, quickly jogging back inside just in time to see the DJ turn on the first song. 

Showtime. 

*Ian's POV* 

I heard everyone around me erupt into applause but I cared about was Mickey's lips on mine. We stayed there for what felt like forever, just holding each other and staying pressed together. 

I turned to the crowd. Monica was there, clapping loudly and crying, right in the back. I looked at Mickey with a confused expression. 

"Couldn't have a wedding without your mom there." He whispered to me as we walked back down the aisle together. I smiled and teared up all over again. 

"Thank you.." 

~••~ 

"I can't believe you came..." I grinned and hugged Monica. 

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, baby. You mean so much to me. I'm getting better... I know I say that every time and it's never true, but this time it is. Mickey helped me over the phone, and we found a free clinic and they're giving me meds. Not a lot, but enough to get me through the next month. I wanna get better for you and the rest of your siblings. I wanna be apart of yours and Mickey's life, because God knows your father will never be there." 

I turned to Mickey, who was grinning at me with a bashful look on his face. I was speechless for the first time in a while. 

"I loved today..." Monica hugged me again and smiled. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie." 

I smiled back at her and felt tears spring to my eyes. "I should probably go dance with my husband." 

"Go," She said softly, pulling me in to kiss my forehead. I sighed with happiness and stood up to go dance with Mickey. 

Best wedding gift ever.


	4. Better Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: I like seeing Mickey and Trevor meet, brotp, also maybe having Ian properly apologize to Trevor

*Ian's POV* 

"I can't do this, I can't fucking do this!" I paced around the building entrance and pulled at my hair roughly. 

"Ian, babe, you gotta calm down, ok?" Mickey gently took my hand away from my head and squeezed it. "This is the right thing to do, and I'll be with you ever step of the way." 

I took a shaky breath and nodded. Ever since the wedding, when Geneva and her friends guarded the doors, I've been working up the courage to apologize to Trevor. We left on such a bad note, but I really do care about him. 

"You're ok, Gallagher. It's ok, we can go in whenever you want." Mickey brushed his thumb against the top of my hand. 

"We should go in now," I sighed, trying to seem confident. "I'm ready." 

Mickey opened the door and I walked in. The new building looked amazing, I was so happy to hear about the grant coming through for them. After all Trev's been through, he deserved this. 

"Here comes the happy couple!" Geneva ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "How are you guys? Any trouble with that asshole who tried to crash the wedding?" 

Mickey gave me a look and I shook my head. We didn't need to worry her. "Nope! All good here. Hey G, where's Trevor's office?" 

She pointed a door towards the back, decorated with flags and stickers. I mumbled a quick thank you and took off towards the room. 

"Trev?" I asked and knocked on the door. Mickey squeezed my hand again reassuringly. 

"Come in!" He said in his usual perky but deep voice. I took a deep breath and walked in with my husband. "Ian...hey.." 

"Hey Trevor...look, I uh... I came here to apologize. I know I was an asshole, and I hurt you a lot when I started doing all that Gay Jesus crap. I'm so sorry that things ended like they did, but I really do care about you and I just wanted to say that..." 

My words jumbled together, I was speaking too fast, he's not gonna forgive me. My brain was yelling all sorts of things at me and it was getting hard to focus. 

Trevor let out a deep sigh and smiled a little. "Of course I forgive you, Ian. I don't blame you for your meds being off again, that would make me an asshole. And I'm happy for you and Mickey. I have a new boyfriend now, and honestly? I think you and I were better off as friends from the beginning." 

I sighed in relief and couldn't help but smile. "I wanna help with the center again, if that's ok with you. I can't get my job as an EMT back, but I still have all the training. I can help out a lot, and I miss seeing these kids every day." 

"Really?" Trevor grinned widely. "Of course you can come back! Having someone with medical training would be great for us, and most of the kids already know you and are comfortable with you." 

Mickey looked over at me with a smile. "See? Told you he wasn't gonna be an ass." 

"And you must be Mickey! I've heard so much about you, but I don't think we've ever met!" Trev smiled again and held out his hand, which Mickey quickly shook. 

"Nice to meet ya. I can probably teach these kids some shit too, if you need help. Like self defense against all the fucking homophobes in this town?" Mickey offered and I smiled again. Things were starting to look up. 

The three of us laughed and talked for a while, figuring out the logistics of how we could help out around here. 

"The place looks amazing by the way," I butted in once Mickey had scheduled when he could come in. "I'm so happy for you, T." 

Trevor flashed a grin and hugged me. "I'm happy for you too. Friends?" 

"Friends."


	5. Here With You Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi there! id love to read something about ian dealing with long term epilepsy. lip and fiona are well practiced in the epilepsy first-aid routine, mickey is clueless but wants to be there to help ian. if you think you'd like to take a stab at this I'd love to read it! I'm really enjoying your writing so far 
> 
> I hope I did this ok! I did a bunch of research, but please tell me if I got anything wrong

*Mickey's POV* 

"Hey Mick?" Ian looked up at me from where he was lying down on our bed, with his head on my lap. 

"Yeah?" I twirled his hair and looked down. 

"I love you," He smiled up at me and held my free hand. 

"I love you too, bitch." I leaned down and kissed him lightly. God, this kid is turning me soft. I'll always be South Side trash, and I'm not afraid to kill a bitch. But Ian's making me have this gooey feeling in my chest whenever I see him. 

And I'm not gonna lie, I don't mind it. 

Ian kissed back and sighed. "This is nice..." He closed his eyes and stayed still for a minute or two. But then he tensed up in my arms and started shaking a bit. 

"Hey, you ok?" I brushed the hair out of his eyes quickly and looked at him. His eyelids were open now, twitching, and he was looking to the side. "Ian, what's going on?" 

He started shaking harshly and bumping against the wall. My eyes widened in shock and I held his head to keep him safe. 

"LIP, FIONA, SOME SHIT'S GOING DOWN!" I yelled out of the room and tried to keep Ian's head still. "C'mon, snap out of it.." 

The two oldest Gallagher siblings rushed in, Lip holding a needle. Fiona quickly turned Ian on his side and Lip stuck the needle in his thigh. 

"Mick, start counting," Fiona said hurriedly and took off her sweater. "If it lasts more than 2 minutes, speak up." She put the sweater under Ian's head. 

"Ok, that still doesn't explain what the fuck is happening to Ian!" I yelled, starting to get annoyed. They were acting like this was no big deal! 

"Ian has epilepsy, so he has seizures. This is probably a Grand Mal." Lip said, Fiona nodding along. 

"Well what the fuck did you give him?" I asked more calmly, still worried for the shaking boy in front of me. 

"Lorazepam, it should help him stop seizing..." Debbie's voice came in from the doorway. She looked over at Ian, concerned. "Do you guys need any help? I've got the ER on speed dial." 

"Clock hasn't reached 2 minutes yet, right Mick?" Lip asked, and I shook my head. "Then he's fine for now. We're alright Debs." 

Debbie nodded, gave us a sad smile and closed the door behind her. I sighed and kept counting. The time was about to reach a minute, and I was getting more and more nervous. 

"So this fucking Grand Mole shit, it's normal? Won't hurt him?" I asked, not looking away from Ian. 

"Mal, and yeah. He should be fine." Fiona sighed and went to sit on the side of the bed. 

The shaking stopped, and Ian coughed. "H-How long?" 

"A minute, 3 seconds," I answered quickly. Ian looked up at me, almost surprised to see me here. "You feelin ok now, Firecrotch?" 

"Y-Yeah...headache is still there," Ian curled up closer to me. "I'm sorry..." 

I looked down at the ginger haired boy. "You kiddin me, Ian? You have nothing to be sorry for. Ain't your fault, and I'm just glad we didn't have to call an ambulance." 

"Call us back up here if you need anything, ok?" Fiona sighed and stood up. "Love you, sweets." She kissed Ian's forehead and the two siblings left the bedroom. 

"Are you sure you're ok? That looked like it hurt..." I wiped away some of the years that had fallen down Ian's cheek with my thumb. 

He nodded and moved into my touch. "I'm so sorry you had to see that..." 

"Ian, seriously, it's not your fault. I'm not mad or any shit like that. Just worried. I need to make sure my favorite carrot top is ok." 

Ian laughed a bit and moved up so he could wrap his arms around my stomach. "Thank you for helping me. You seem surprisingly calm." 

"Trust me, a lot of fucks were thrown around when you were thrashing around and I didn't know what was wrong with you." I let out an airy laugh. 

"Mm.." Ian closed his eyes and leaned closer to me. 

"Tired?" I asked. The meds probably made him drowsy, and the seizure itself probably wore him out. 

He nodded and whispered something against my shirt. 

"What was that, Mumbles?" 

"'M sleepy..." Ian said a little louder, still muffled. 

"Go to bed Ian. I'll be right here." I ran my tattooed fingers through his hair and eventually, Ian was out like a light, snoring. 

I smiled at the small boy in my arms and closed my eyes. That was enough chaos for one day.


	6. Through Thick and Thin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I had an idea: Mickey and Frank talk about bipolar? Maybe set during season 5 where Frank has a rare moment of not completely sucking and tells Mickey it's still worth it... or something. Could be unusual, but I've never read anything with these two characters interacting, thought it might be fun! 
> 
> I changed it up a little bit because I didn't have a long enough chapter with just the season 5 stuff, so there's a couple different seasons. I hope you still enjoy it though!!

*Mickey's POV* 

~• March 2012 •~  
"I'll go kill Frank, nobody's gonna fucking care if that drunk dies anyways." 

"Mickey-" 

"No! No Gallagher, if my dad finds out, he'll kill me himself. I'm not taking that chance." I don't want to think about what Terry would do if Frank let it slip that he saw us fucking. 

I huffed and walked out the front door of the Kash & Grab, taking out a cigarette and lighting it quickly. 

"Ig! Colin! C'mon, I gotta fucking kill a guy!" I yelled as soon as I stepped foot in the moldy, dilapidating Milkovich house. 

"Cool, who this time?" Colin grinned and grabbed a gun from the hidden chest of them in the living room. 

"Frank Gallagher." I chose one of the firearms for myself and stuffed it in my jacket pocket. 

And that was the end of the conversation. They didn't need a reason, it was just a casual homicide for them. Something every Milkovich is comfortable with. 

Iggy pulled up to the Alibi, and we waited for Frank. Eventually, he stumbled out of the bar with a beer still in his hand. 

"Alright, I'll go in first and call you guys if I need backup." I grunted and got out of the car. 

"Ah, if it isn't the man my son is banging! Good for you, if Ian inherits half of my skill at fucking, you're having a very nice time with him." Frank slurred and tripped over his feet on his way walking towards me. 

"Don't fucking move, Frank," I pulled my gun out and aimed it at his forehead. "You're gonna spill all that shit if I let you live." 

"Mickey, love is love is love is love. I don't give a shit about who's fucking who. Chose a gender and find someone who wants to fuck, preferably for free." 

My face heated up with embarrassment. "Shut the hell up Frank, I'm not a queer like your faggot son." I growled at him. 

"Then why was his dick up your ass, hmm?" 

I cocked the gun and pressed it against his forehead. "You really wanna push me right now?" 

"Listen, I'm not gonna tell anyone. I might be a drunk, and selfish, and a deadbeat dad, but I'm not an asshole!" 

I sighed and turned the gun safety back on. "Whatever Frank. I don't trust you, but I don't wanna go back to juvie so I guess you're free to go." 

I walked back to the car without another word, and didn't answer my brothers' questions when I got back in the passenger's seat. 

~• February 2015 •~ 

I looked down at Ian sleeping next to me, then back out the car window. 

"We need to get him committed, even if he doesn't wanna go. We can just...tell them that he kidnapped the kid, right? They have to take him. There's gotta be some kinda like 'Danger to Others' law, right? At least he'll be getting some kind of fucking help." 

"You did ok, Mickey," Lip said from the driver's seat, looking at me in the rearview mirror. "Hell, you tried. That's a lot more than most people would do." 

I held back my tears and looked back over at Ian. He looked so beautiful, even with bags under his eyes and his hair messed up. 

But he didn't look like himself, not really. Like a broken version of the Ian Gallagher that we all know. A version that's scared and hurting. A version I don't want him to have to take on by himself. 

We pulled up to the hospital and sat there for a while, waiting for Fiona to come. Ian woke up at some point, looking confused and terrified. I played with his hair and explained that he had to be admitted here for a couple days. 

"But I'll visit you as much as I can, ok? And it won't be that bad, just 72 hours and you're out. Just 3 days." I whispered and ran my thumb against his cheek. 

Frank showed up a little after Fiona, right as Ian was signing the papers. He clapped Ian on the back and gave him a sad grimace. "You'll be ok, Ian." He said simply and sat down on one of the cold, plastic chairs. 

Ian turned around and looked at me with his faded, glassed over eyes. I nodded and moved a little closer. Ian turned back and signed the papers with a shaking hand. 

A short haired lady came around the corner. "Mr. Gallagher?" 

I heard Fiona bite back a sob as everyone said words of encouragement to Ian, but my mouth couldn't seem to form any words. I was in shock. I was scared, and worried, and in love, and nothing that a Milkovich should be. 

Ian looked back at me and opened his mouth before shutting it and walking away. I rushed over to him and hugged him. He seemed surprised, but held onto me tightly. I ran my hands through his hair and felt tears finally fall down my cheeks. 

"Can I go in with him?" I asked the lady, and I could hear my voice crack and shake. 

"No, I'm sorry." She said softly and opened the door leading to the psych ward. 

I kissed Ian's shoulder and let go of him, as much as I didn't want to. The door locked and we stayed there until we couldn't see him anymore. Fiona broke down in Lip's arms, but I just felt numb. 

I sat down next to Frank and put my head in my hands. The bare minimum was 72 hours, but if things don't get better, he could be in here longer. And that thought terrified me. 

"Stick with him," I heard from beside me. "Monica didn't take her meds, but Ian knows better. He'll get back on track. Don't leave him because of this, it'll be the worst fucking mistake of your life. It was mine." 

I looked over at Frank, frowning a bit. He smiled at my confused expression and continued. 

"Trust me. I didn't help Monica when she was sick, but you helped Ian. You're already at a better start than we were. You and Ian can do this, I just know it." 

~• January 2020 •~ 

"I dedicate this speech to the grooms!" Frank half-slurred into the mic, already tipsy. "I saw these two fucking in the convenience store where they worked almost 9 years ago! And yeah, they've had their ups and downs, but I always knew they would get through it. Everyone here knows I'm not the world's best dad. But Ian and Mickey? They got through it and found each other, even with no mom and shitty dads like me and Terry! Anyways, I'm gonna go get more vodka, but give it up for the best motherfuckers I've ever had the pleasure of knowing!" 

I laughed and rolled my eyes. Ian looked over at me, smiling and blushing. 

"Thank you.." 

"What for?" I asked, genuinely confused. 

"Not giving up on me." Ian held my hand and squeezed gently. 

"Someone tried to tell me to stay, but I didn't need any convincing. You're the light of my life, Mr. Gallavich." 

"And you're the light of mine, Mr. Millagher."


	7. Love At It's Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ian and Mickey catch their daughter having sex with their girlfriend 
> 
> Aleksandra is named after Mickey's middle name, Aleksandr, and Mason is named after Monica Gallagher.

*Ian's POV* 

"You think Aleksandra's new friend will be good for her?" Mickey asked me as our daughter walked into her room. "Riley seems nice enough, but God knows Lexie's had the worst time making friends. Two dads, the South Side and the Milkovich family name don't mix well." 

"If Aleks is happy, we'll be happy for her," I rested my hand on his lower back and pulled him close to me. "She'll be ok. If Riley isn't good for her, she knows how to stand up for herself." 

"You're right, you always are," Mickey sighed. "I just worry about her..." 

"I know you do, babe. It's sweet." I smiled and kissed him gently. 

He kissed me back and rested his head on my shoulder. 

"And you said you wouldn't be a good dad." 

"Yeah, well we had some pretty shitty examples of dads growin up, huh?" Mickey laughed a bit and pulled away. "I'll go see if Riley's staying for dinner, see if we need to order in." 

Mickey kissed me again, then headed off to Aleksandra's room. I had barely sat down on the couch when I heard a high pitched scream from my daughter's room. 

"GET OUT, DAD!" Aleks screeched and Mickey came running out of the room. 

"Mick?" I looked up at my husband, who's eyes were wide with shock. "Mickey, what's wrong?" 

Before he could answer, Riley ran out of the room next, her leather jacket hastily put on and and her shirt halfway up, caught on the zipper. 

"Goodbye Mr. and Mr. Milkovich!" Her voice cracked and she made her way out of the house in a rush. 

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?!" I yelled, getting nervous. 

"MASON WAS SUPPOSED TO WATCH THE FUCKING DOOR!" Aleksandra screamed. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" 

Mason walked out calmly and grabbed a six-pack of beers from the fridge. "Not my fault you tried fucking your girlfriend when our dads were home." 

"Girlfriend?!" I said loudly, and I could instantly tell I came off way harsher then I meant. 

Mickey's legs gave out from under him and he fell on the couch, his head in his hands. 

Aleks came out of her room and chased Mason around the kitchen. He laughed and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him. 

"FACE ME LIKE A REAL MILKOVICH, DICK NIPS!" Lexie pounded her fist against the door and kicked at it. 

"Aleksandra, leave your brother alone..." I sighed and sat down next to Mickey. 

"What the fuck is a dick nip?" Mick asked, looking up. "Nope, not important." 

"Listen, Lexie...we don't care that you're gay, obviously. We just want you to be safe." I patted the empty spot next to me and Aleksandra walked to it slowly. 

"We're being safe, Pops..." She mumbled. 

"Then why weren't you using protection?" Mickey fired back quietly. 

"It's not like I can get pregnant, we're exclusive and we've both been tested..." Aleks admitted quietly. "I'm happy with her, really. And her friends like me, so now I have a bunch of friends." 

I looked over, and she was grinning and blushing. I put my arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. 

"We're happy for you, kid. Just tell us this stuff, ok?" Mickey sighed. "I don't wanna walk in on you two again, it was fucking disgusting." 

Aleks snorted laughing and nodded. "Ok, Dad. Sorry about that." She got up to go back to her bedroom. 

"And Lexie?" Mickey stopped her. 

"Yeah, Dad?" She turned back to us. 

"If Riley hurts ya, I'll fucking kill a bitch." 

"Love you too, Dad."


	8. The Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no request, but I thought I would try this kind of writing and see if y'all like it?? Tell me if you do, I hope you enjoy!! This takes place at the end of season 4
> 
> Comment any requests you have ^-^
> 
> TRIGGER:  
> Depressing thoughts  
> Self harm (not in detail)

*Ian's POV* 

You know when you're at the beach? The waves around you, the seashells, the laughter. Everything is good. Everything is calm. You're happy and you're with the people you love and it's all ok. You're on top of the world. 

And then you go into the water. It's fun for a while. But then a wave comes, and it splashes down over you. You're trapped. You can't breathe and you're being pushed down. Everything is fuzzy. Everything is terrifying. 

That's what it feels like right now. High highs, then low lows. I know I'm depressed, and I know I was manic these past few months. But no matter how aware I am that I'm drowning, I can't force myself to swim up. 

"Yo, it's after 5. You tryna set some sort of record?" 

Mickey. 

He's amazing. I feel so guilty that I can't swim up for him. 

A pillow hit my back, but I didn't move. I didn't even flinch. It's one of those lifesavers that lifeguards have at the beach. But I can't grab it, no matter how much I want to. 

"You're not still sleeping, get up." 

I can hear the annoyance and desperation in his voice. I care so much, I want to get better for him. But I just can't do it. 

"Leave me alone..." 

I could hear myself mumble, but I don't remember actually speaking. Mickey sighed and I could hear it loudly, echoing through my empty head. 

"Ian, are you high? You take something?" 

I wish. If I was high, this would just be a bad trip. Over in a little bit, I could flush the drugs out of my system and stop taking it. 

But this feels like it will never end. This feels like the end. I don't care if I die. It might even be better for Mickey and Mandy and my siblings if I died. 

"Go away..." 

Yet again, I don't speak, but words come out. Mickey answers me, but my ears are clogged with the salt water. 

"Jesus! Leave me alone!" 

'Please...please stay...' 

But he leaves. He listens to me, because that's the kind of boyfriend he is. Someone who always tries to make me happy, even if he's not what'll make me feel better. 

I try to be that boyfriend. But now, I feel more like a corpse drifting through the deep, blue sea. And that terrifies me. 

I hear Mickey whispering with Mandy about me. They come back later with Debbie and Carl, and they call Fiona. Lip is nowhere to be found, but that's good. He shouldn't worry about me anyways. I don't know why Debs and Carl and Fiona came in the first place. 

They try talking to me but all I hear is ocean water swaying in my ear. 

I hear yelling. They're fighting about me. It would be better if I wasn't here. If I didn't exist. 

"Ian...?" Mandy. Why hasn't she left yet? She shouldn't care about me. "Ian, please, you have to let us help you." 

I didn't answer, big surprise. I can't stop drowning, not matter how much I want to. 

I don't know how much time passed after that. How much time went by before I finally got up, and went to the bathroom. Started the bath, and got in, and held a knife against my wrist. I don't know much time passed while I stared at the blade, before Mickey came in. He talked me off the ledge. I dropped the knife. He picked it up and we haven't talked about it since. 

I don't know how much time passed after that. How much time went by before the waves finally subsided. Before I could hear again, and nothing was fuzzy. Before I got up and just cried in Mickey's arms, apologizing as he held me close to him and told me that I didn't need to apologize. 

And then I was fine. I got out of the wave, and I was back on the beach. But it was windy, and those waves keep getting higher and higher. 

And most people are leaving the sand, and heading back to their cars. 

But I'm still standing here. 

Waiting for the wave to crash over me again.


	9. A Broken Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought of this idea a little while back, when I first made the Gallavich Family AU with Mason and Aleksandra. I hope y'all enjoy, but please heed the warnings for this one.
> 
> TRIGGER:  
> Domestic abuse, physical assault and manipulation  
> (includes victim thinking they're not being abused)
> 
> If you're in an unhealthy relationship, please try to get out of it as soon as you can. If you need a friend to help get you through it, feel free to reach out on Wattpad (Els_Bisexual_Eggos) or Discord (Sam.Bird #9957) or even in the comments. I love you all very much, stay safe!! <3<3

*Mason's POV*

I laughed and closed the door to my bedroom. Aleksandra won't get in trouble, or else I would've actually covered for her. But this is funnier anyways.

"Holy shit, that's good," I wiped my eyes and passed Sage a beer. "Lexie's so pissed, it's fucking amazing."

She just nodded and popped the can tab open. "I guess..."

I frowned and sat next to her on my bed. "What's wrong, babe?"

"I'm just not in the mood to talk..." Sage turned away from me and sighed.

"Are you sure? You know you can always talk to me." I held her hand and gently moved her chin with my free hand so she would look at me. But Sage just rolled her eyes and walked out of my room. I followed her as she stepped out the front door into the cold, harsh January air.

"Celeste saw you hanging out at the mall yesterday with your friends... I didn't tell you that you were allowed to do that." She glared at me, a total 180 from how sad she just seemed to be.

"Sage, it's fine. We were just going to the movies, it's nothing important." I brushed it off and went in to kiss her. Whenever she gets in this kind of mood, it's better to stop her before she gets herself riled up. 

She kissed me back fiercely and then held my chin, much harsher than I held her's, for the record. "Don't tell me what's okay and what's not. You didn't ask me if you could go, that's a shitty thing to do." 

Sage pushed me against the house, and I hit my head loudly on the wood. I winced from the sharp pain that shot through my skull, and I looked back at her in shock and anger. She'll pinch me or yell, but it's never gone this far before. 

"What's your issue?!" I yelled and rubbed the back of my head. "Seriously, what the fuck?!"

"You could be cheating, or doing hard drugs!" She screamed back at me and shoved me against the house again. "I love you, and I don't want to lose you."

"You're not losing me, Sage. If anything, it's more likely for me to break up with you over this than for me to overdose or cheat."

Her face went dark, and her fist aimed for my eye, hitting it instantly. "You're not breaking up with me, though. What, you think I'm abusing you or some shit? How stupid are you?" She laughed.

"I'm not saying that!" I defended myself, my face glowing red with embarrassment. 

"But you're thinking it! You think this is abuse?! Please, I can be so much worse. You don't have any idea how terrible people are in this town. You're lucky to have me."

I bit my tongue and frowned, then slid down the wall to the icy pavement. Sage gave me a soft smile and sat down next to me. "I'm sorry I had to do that, but you were getting out of hand..." She held the back of my head, right where it had been banged against the wood. "No blood, you're fine. I love you, baby."

She snuggled against my chest, grinning and hugging me. "Love you too..."

~• •~

I kept twirling my pasta and dropping it back on the plate, not feeling hungry. I told everyone at home that I got into a fight with one of the neighbors, that explained the black eye. But it didn't excuse why I wasn't eating.

"Fuck's up with you, Mason?" Dad asked as he shoveled the pasta into his mouth. "You sick or some shit?"

"I'm fine, just not hungry." I sighed, slumping against the table.

"You know I was messing with ya, right?" Aleks whispered to me. "I'm not actually pissed at you about guarding the door."

"Thanks, Lexie..." I tried to fake a smile for her, but it was obvious that she could see through my act.

Pops grabbed my hand under the table and gave me a nervous look. I shot up from the chair and pushed my plate away from me. "Fuck, I said I'm fine! Calm the fuck down!" I yelled and stormed off into my room. I turned on my headphones to full volume and light a cigarette. Why doesn't anyone just treat me like I'm normal?! Sage is too harsh, Pops is too soft, it's annoying as fuck. 

Scratch that, Sage isn't too harsh. She's just overprotective. I shouldn't even be thinking like this. She's my girlfriend, I love her and she loves me. 

"Mason, open up. This 'teen angst bullshit' whatever isn't funny," Aleksandra knocked on the door. "Usually I would just open the door, but this seemed weirder than normal. If you're okay, I'll believe you, but it really doesn't seem like you're okay."

"I don't care Aleks, you're gonna come in if I tell you not to anyways." I rolled my eyes and took a deep inhale of smoke.

"Do you need me to get Yevgeny? Or Svet? I'm sure they wouldn't mind coming over."

"I guess you and Yev can come in..." I sighed and put the cigarette back up to my lips. 

Aleks walked in with her phone out, probably to text Yev. "Scale from 1-10, 1 being you lost a candy bar, 10 being you found out you have cancer or some shit, how serious is this?"

That made me pause. I'm exaggerating this, aren't I? I mean, I never said it was abuse, but I still thought what Sage did was bad. But in all honesty, it's not. Sage is nice, she loves me, she wouldn't hurt me on purpose. She probably just didn't think it was a big deal. Besides, a little tough love never hurt anybody.

"Mason? You're kinda freaking me out, you look all spacey..." Lexie's voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up at her.

"O-Oh, sorry. Probably like a 2. I'm overreacting, seriously. Tell Yev I changed my mind, he doesn't need to come home from work for this. I'm fine."

This is normal. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal out of this. Maybe Sage was right, maybe I am just being stupid.

After all, a Milkovich can't be abused.


	10. Somewhere Only We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Svetlana and Mickey were friends, and she convinced him to get Ian back after the wedding?
> 
> Inspired by the song "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
> 
> Have I cried to this song multiple times thinking of Gallavich? ....mayyybe
> 
> Also, thank you all for your kind words and feedback! It makes me so so happy, I'm glad so many people are enjoying this!!

*Mickey's POV* 

"Not everyone gets to just-" I paused, blinking away a tear that was welling in my eye. "Not everyone gets to just blurt out how they fucking feel every minute."

"Maybe if you didn't let your dad control you, you could come out of the fucking closet!" Ian screamed and I heard a small gasp come from the exit. I turned, and Mandy was standing there with her hands over her mouth.

"I-I'm so sorry, I just came in to tell you that everyone's ready..." She whispered and came closer to me. "Mick, you're gay..?"

"Fuck no. This faggot's fucking in love with me or some shit, that's all," I growled and walked away. "C'mon Mandy, wedding's starting."

I threw my cigarette on the floor and stomped out the orange embers. Ian doesn't know what he's fucking talking about. Like hell I can stand up to Terry. I'm almost 100% sure he has a gun on him right now in case I call off the wedding. He'd much rather going back to jail then to have a homo for a son. 

And anyways, if Svet can keep fucking other guys, so can I. I don't know why Ian is being such a whiny bitch, he never minded being a secret before. What does he think, everyone is just gonna be accepting? In what fucking universe?! 

The wedding flashed before my eyes. One second I was watching Svetlana walk up the aisle in her tight dress with the open sides, and then Ian was screaming on the ballroom. 

"No, the person you've been FUCKING gets married to some commie SKANK! Fucking commie!" He sounded drunk, but I could hear the pain and hurt in his voice.

Doesn't he fucking get that I don't want this?! God, all I want is to hold him in my arms and kiss him forever and run my hands through his hair and see that little dimple that only shows up when he's really happy. And yeah, the sex is fucking awesome, but I want those domestic moments too. Is that too much to ask for?

I don't know how much longer I was just sitting at the table with Svetlana, but eventually the guests cleared out and Svetlana drove us home. The car was filled with silence as she drove through the familiar roads. 

"Orange Boy said you two still fuck. This true?" She didn't even look at me as she asked the question. I bit my lip and took another deep drag from my cigarette.

"Yeah...yeah, it's true. I'm gay, Svet, you know that. Terry told you to fuck the faggot outta me, you really think your pussy's that good?"

She smirked and glanced over at me. "Maybe at least turn you bisexual, like me."

"Not a chance, Lana," I chuckled and shook my head. I wish we had met under different circumstances, because she's actually a badass chick. "But if I was 'converted' or whatever the fuck, you'd be my girl."

"Meh," She shrugged. "Mandy's hotter, sorry Mick."

"Oh fuck off." I flipped her off with no venom in my voice and the corners of my lips flipping up.

"Win him back," Svetlana said simply. "You love him, do not deny this. I saw the pain in both of your eyes when I fucked you. Trust me, Orange Boy loves you back."

~• •~

"Lip, hey, Ian home?" I walked into the Gallagher house from the back door and saw the oldest brother in the family studying on the kitchen table.

"Fuck's it to you, you married that slut, didn't you?" He glared at me.

"One, don't fucking call her that. Two, she means nothing to me romantically. Just tell me if he's home."

Lip rolled his eyes and nodded to the stairs. I rushed up and moved towards Ian's room, where a soft voice was singing. 

"I walked along an empty land. I knew the pathway like the back of my hand. I felt the earth beneath my feet...sat by the river, and it made me complete..."

I frowned and pressed my ear against the door. He sounded just...defeated. 

"Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on. So tell me when you're gonna let me in! I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin..."

I could hear Ian start crying inside the room. I just want to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. 

"Ian? Shit man, open the door..." 

The door slammed open and Ian was there with a red nose, puffy eyes and his cheeks fluffed. "What do you want, Mickey?" He snapped, and I honestly didn't blame him. 

"If you have a minute, why don't we go...talk about it somewhere only we know..." I sang softly and looked up at him, wringing my hands in front of me. Ian froze for a second, then gave me a small smile.

"This could be the end of everything...so why don't we go somewhere only we know..." He grasped the back of my neck and ran his thumb up and down. 

"Somewhere only we know..." I echoed and moved my face closer to his.

It seemed like an eternity, Ian just looking at me and down at my lips, before he finally kissed me gently. Our lips moved in sync and I sighed in relief. 

We can work it out. Even with the ups and downs, we can get through this.


	11. First Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I really liked this; we definitely need more Mickey and Svet bonding in this fandom! I popped back in to suggest another prompt: Carl having a boyfriend and telling Mickey before any other Gallagher because he truly values his opinion and their brotherly relationship 
> 
> There's DEFINITELY going to be more Mickey/Svet/Ian friendship because I love it so so much.

*Mickey's POV*

"Shut the fuck up, I'm coming!" I yelled and headed towards the door, where someone was banging loudly. I opened it and groaned. 

"Ian's not even home, dipshit, you woke me up for nothing." I sighed and tried to close the door, but Carl's foot blocked it. 

"I came here to talk to you, Mick." He mumbled and I opened the door wider, my eyebrows up in surprise. 

Carl sat down one of the chairs and grabbed a beer from the table. 

"Then pass me one of those and talk, kid." I sat down across from him on the stained couch with the lumpy cushions, in true Milkovich fashion. 

"So I started dating someone, and my family usually hates whoever I date..." He started and passed me a beer can. I popped off the tab and laughed. 

"Ian told me bout the last chick you dated, that psycho Kassidi, so I see where they're coming from." 

"Kassidi was a manipulative bitch," Carl mumbled and took a long swig of his beer. "The new person isn't."

"Tell me about her, what does she look like?" I asked as I leaned back against the couch. 

"Hazel eyes, fluffy, wavy brown hair, kinda tall, really pretty lips..." Carl blushed and grinned. 

"Damn Gallagher, you better wife her up if you're this in love." I laughed. 

"It's a boy," He blurted out, looking up at me. "I'm scared Mickey... I saw how people reacted to you and Ian getting married, it wasn't good..." 

I sighed as I remembered all of the slurs someone had spray painted on the side of the Gallagher house. The Southside isn't a good place to be gay. Terry had pulled a gun on us more times than I can remember. I had even heard a very drunk Frank say that he was "fed up with these pan-gender hermaphrodites who hate that human beings are a species with two distinct genders" 

"Ian and I can be like your Gay Guardians," I shrugged. "They wanna mess with you, they gotta through us first, ok? I love your brother, so you're like my little brother now too."

Carl smiled at me and finished off his beer. "Thanks Mick. And I'm bisexual, by the way."

"Wouldn't matter to me either way. You fuck whoever you want, as long as it makes you happy." 

"I'm glad Ian married you," Carl whispered, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room for a minute. "You're really great, Mickey."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too sappy on me, kid," I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Tell me more about him."

"His name's Jax, and he goes to school with me. We've been friends for a while, and it just kinda...evolved.." Carl tried to hide his blush, but I caught a glimpse before he could.

"What about his parents, they cool with it?" I asked, and he nodded.

"They don't know that we're dating, but he's out to them."

"Good, I don't want a repeat of Terry. He good to you?"

"Yeah, yeah he is..." Carl grinned and leaned back.

"You two fuck yet? I don't wanna hear about what your doin, but Ian'll have a fit if you get herpes or some shit." 

"Not yet, but we'll be safe, Mick. Thanks for not judging or anything...it's nice to just talk to someone and not have to worry about it alone anymore." Carl sighed. 

"It's all good, kid. And don't worry about telling your family. They're good people."

The front door creaked open, and Ian walked in. "Hey Mick! Carl, what's up?" He sat down next to me and grabbed a beer from the six-pack on the table. 

"I was actually heading out. Just wanted talk to my brother-in-law."

Carl grinned and walked out the door with a wink.


	12. Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hey could you maybe write an Ian mpreg fic ? They have been trying for a baby for a long time and it finally happens and then Ian surprise Mickey with a positive test or something. Only if you want to. Btw I love your fics <3
> 
> Literally why are y'all so nice, I'm not used to this positivity ♡♡
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Medicine talk  
> Infertility  
> Mentions of not liking how you look  
> Mentions of self blame

*Ian's POV* 

I cried on Mickey's shoulder, shaking as he ran his hand through my hair. He shushed me softly and kissed the top of my head. 

"It's my fault..." I whispered. "It's my stupid fucking body that's messed up..." 

"Don't say that," Mickey said softly and put his hand against my cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong, it'll be ok.." 

I nodded, even though I didn't believe him. We been trying to get pregnant for 8 months now, and the doctor had said it was because my body would be "hostile" for the baby. 

"Listen, we'll go back to the fertility clinic tomorrow and figure this out. But for right now, let's just try to calm you down, okay? I'll order a pizza, you pick out a movie for us to watch." 

I moved off the bed as Mickey grabbed his phone, and pulled up Scream on the TV in our room. The pizza came about a half hour into the movie, and by the time the party scene rolled around, Mickey was snoring on my shoulder.  
~••~ 

My foot tapped anxiously as we waited for the doctor to show up. Mickey put his hand on my knee and gave me a reassuring look. 

"Hello, Mr. and Mr. Milkovich! It's so nice to see you again!" Dr. Robinson came in and smiled. "So, you're still having issues getting pregnant?" 

"Yeah, nothing's working..." I sighed. "Is there any way that I can still have a baby?" 

"Well, adoption and surrogacy are still options, but I know you have your heart set on having the baby yourself. So there's a couple medications that I can put you on." 

She pulled out a file from the pharmacy, showing all of the fertility meds I have to go on. "So first, I'd put you on Clomid, that's an oral tablet you'd take once a day in the morning. And an hCG, probably Pregnyl or Profasi. We'll see which one works better for you and Mickey. That's an injection that you should take midday." She explained, pulling out some papers. 

"Side effects are depressive mood swings, hot flashes, blurred vision, nausea, bloating, headaches. The injection might get an infection." 

"Depressive mood swings, are those gonna hurt him?" Mickey asked, picking up the paper for Clomid. "With his bipolar, that seems risky..." 

"If it starts affecting his lithium and mood stabilisers, take him off the pill and contact your doctor. It shouldn't do anything, though." Dr. Robinson explained. 

Mickey looked at me nervously, and I gave him the best puppy dog eyes I could. He grinned at me and turned back to the doctor. 

"When can he start?" 

~••~ 

I looked at the bruises covering my stomach and thighs through the bathroom mirror and sighed. Mickey and I knew the needle would cause bruising, but they made me look ugly... 

The timer on my phone starting buzzing, pulling me away from the mirror. I stopped it and flipped over the pregnancy test. 

Positive. 

I stared at the white stick in shock. We've been trying for 11 months now, so the two pink lines seemed surreal. I scrambled to flip the other two test brands. 

Blue plus. Pregnant. 

I screamed and held my stomach softly. No way...no way! 

"I need to plan for the nursery, and the baby shower! How am I gonna tell my family? Shit, how am I gonna tell Mickey?!" My brain was going a thousand miles an hour. 

I finally started calming down a couple minutes later. I grabbed the pregnancy tests and hid them at the bottom of my dresser drawer. Until I figure out a really good idea of how to tell Mickey, I don't want him finding out. 

Maybe I could get him a #1 Dad mug? No, that's too cheesy for Mick... Fuck, how do I do this? Simple's the way to go for sure, but when? 

The door creaked open, interrupting my thought process, and I looked over to see Mickey walking in. 

"Hey baby, you ok? You look like you just saw a fucking ghost." Mickey came over to me and gave me a quick kiss. 

"Yeah, I'm ok! Just hungry. I'll make us dinner, okay? You go get changed, it'll ready in like 10 minutes." 

Mickey smiled at me and headed into our bedroom. I set up a pot of water on the stove for pasta, and heated up some sauce and meatballs. 

"I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be out in a minute!" Mickey called from the other room after a couple minutes. I snuck into the bedroom and grabbed the tiny white sticks, then rushed back out to the kitchen before Mickey saw me. 

The water boiled and I dumped the spaghetti in. The sauce was starting to bubble and I turned down the heat. 

"Smells delicious," Mickey came in and sat down at the table. "Thanks for making this." 

"Of course!" I grinned and twisted my hands behind me nervously. I was mostly excited, but still anxious. 

I drained the pasta quickly and set it on the table with the pot of sauce and meatballs. Then I put the pregnancy tests next to Mickey's plate, and stared at him nervously. 

"Fuck..." He stared at them for a second before looking up at me with watery eyes. "You fuckin with me, Gallagher?" 

I shook my head and laughed. Mickey let out a shaky breath and shot up from his chair. He picked me up and spun me around, kissing me fiercly as wet tears ran down our cheeks. 

"We're gonna be dads, Ian, fucking dads!" He laughed and held the back of my neck, setting me down. 

"Anything you want, any fucking thing, I'll make it happen for you and our baby. Even if you start getting weird fucking cravings, I'll get it for you." 

"Stop saying fuck around the baby." I laughed, trying (and failing) to hide a snort. 

"Oh please, with us as parents, kid's first work is gonna be fuck." Mickey chuckled and more tears fell down his face. 

"I love you so much, Mick..." I sighed softly, feeling overwhelmed, but in a good way. 

"I love you more, Ian. You and this kid, OUR kid." 

Maybe dreams really do come true...


	13. Light at the End of the Tunnel: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Oh pls continue I would to read abt them having the baby that would be awesome 
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Medical scares and issues with pregnancy

*Mickey's POV*

"Lemme see him, he's been in there for 9 fucking hours already!" I yelled at the nurse and paced anxiously around the waiting room. 

"Sir, I'm truly sorry, but you can't go in. The baby and father are in distress right now, we're taking him to get an emergency C-Section now. Someone will be out soon to update you." He said in a rush and left quickly. 

I sat down and ran my hand through my hair. Ever since Ian started getting contractions at the house, I've been freaking the fuck out. He said it was hurting like a bitch, and I couldn't stop panicking as I drove him to the ER. 

"Fuck this," I mumbled under my breath and walked to where they had put Ian. I looked through the window, and even though I couldn't see him, I could see the heart monitor going off. It wasn't fast enough, barely spiking every couple seconds. I pounded on the door until someone came over, glaring at me. 

"Mr. Milkovich, I understand that you're upset, but you can't be here!" The random lady yelled at me and was about to slam the door in my face, but I put my foot in the doorway. 

"Please, h-he needs me right now!" I begged, feeling my anger dissolve into sadness and fear. If I had known having this kid would be so dangerous for Ian, I would've just convinced him to adopt. 

A long, continuous beep went through the room and everyone in the room started moving around frantically. I looked at the heart monitor, but there was no spikes anymore, it was just one flat line. 

"Fuck's happening to him?!" I screamed at the lady as she ran back to Ian. 

"Sir, you can't be in here! Can someone get him out?!" The main doctor yelled and someone ushered me out of the room. 

"The best thing for Ian now is to have doctors who AREN'T distracted by your yelling. Just go to the cafeteria, get some water, get some food. We'll tell you when there's news, but you can't do anything for him now." He gave me a sympathetic smile and walked back to the room. 

I fell to the floor, not even feeling my knees crash against the hard tile. A receptionist helped me up, but I wasn't aware about what was happening. All I could think about was Ian flat lining. I don't even fucking care about the baby anymore, I just can't loose Ian... 

He's only been pregnant for 26 weeks. Dr. Robinson had said the pregnancy should be 37-42 weeks, so even if Ian makes it, the baby probably won't. That little baby will have to fight tooth and nail for its life. 

I waited. I waited for so long. Hours went by without a word from any doctors. I tried to think positive thoughts- no updates means that Ian's not gone, and the baby's still alive too. But it also meant that the baby wasn't out and there was still a risk that either of them could die. 

It took another 5 hours of waiting until the main doctor came out, smiling. Smiling is a good sign, right? 

"Mr. Milkovich, I'm very happy to inform you that both Ian and the baby are still with us. Your baby girl is in the NICU right now, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Since she is premature, she might develop some issues, so we'll need to keep her and Ian here for quite some time." 

My heart soared. They're both still here, and I couldn't be happier. 

"As for Ian, he's in the regular ICU. He's awake and stable, but very weak. He's ready to see you now, room 12." The doctor smiled and left. 

I quickly headed to Ian. I wanted nothing more than to see for myself that he's okay. There was a nurse giving Ian meds when I finally got to his room, and he gave me a weak smile. 

"Hey, Mick," he mumbled softly. "I did it."

"Fuck yeah, you did...God, you scared me Ian," I sat down on the chair next to the bed and squeezed his hand. "I saw you flatline, and it fucking terrified me. I thought I was gonna lose you..." 

"I'm still here though. I'm gonna be okay now," Ian smiled at me and rested his head against the pillow. "They said it was a girl... I wanna name her Aleksandra, after you."

"Please," I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "You did all the work, I just yelled at a bunch of doctors and nurses today." 

"We can name the next one after me, but this one's name is Aleksandra."

"Next one?!" I looked at him in shock. "How many meds they puttin you on to make you wanna do this again?!" 

Ian laughed and moved closer to me. "We can talk about a second kid later. For now, I just wanna be with you..."

I sighed and smiled, leaning over so I could kiss him. "That's perfectly ok with me."


	14. The Scars of Your Love Remind Me of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The situation with Mason and Sage gets worse... 
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Self harm  
> Abusive relationships  
> Sexual assault  
> Depressing thoughts
> 
> Title from "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

*Mason's POV* 

"Mason, come on! Open up, you haven't come out of your room all day!" Dad rapped on the door and I just scoffed and turned the other day. 

"We're worried about you, Mason..." Pops said softly. "I have a skeleton key somewhere around here, if you don't come out for dinner tonight, I'm unlocking your door." 

I heard footsteps retreating my door and I pulled out my phone. Message after message, call after call, all from Sage. I didn't want to talk to her, not after all the things she said to me today. 

First, she started accusing me of cheating because I didn't want to send her nudes, even after I explained that I just wasn't comfortable with it. I ended up texting her dirty things, but I just felt really uncomfortable... 

Then she started yelling at me, saying all this outrageous stuff about how I'm only allowed to talk to certain people. She thinks some of my friends are bad influences, so she wants me to cut them out of my life. 

The whole thing was just really stressful. I've been holed up in my room for hours now, but I'm not even hungry or thirsty. Luckily, my room has its own bathroom, so I don't have to face my family whenever I have to take a piss. 

My phone buzzed again and I finally opened up my messages. The most recent one from Sage just said "I'm coming over for dinner. Wear that blue shirt I like, you look hot in it" 

I sighed and switched the contact to the family group chat. I quickly typed out a message and hit send. 

"Sorry for being in my room all, really bad stomachache. Sage is coming for dinner, I'll be out soon" 

I shut my phone off and begrudgingly got up out of bed. I threw on clean boxers and jeans, and the blue shirt Sage told me to wear. When I opened the door, Aleks was leaning against the wall, looking at me. 

"Fucking finally. Now that you're out, you can tell me what the hell's wrong with you." She huffed and turned to face me. 

"I texted you, Dad and Pops, I-" "Don't you dare say it was a stomachache, everyone in this house knows that you get clingy and watch movies when your stomach hurts. I know because I always have to make your fucking soup and be your pillow for the day." 

"Different kind of stomachache." I mumbled and shoved past her. 

"Like what, anxiety? Pops always says to tell him if your having mental issues, we have insurance because of his bipolar meds." Aleksandra followed behind me like a dog waiting for its toy. 

"Lexie, just cool it, I said I'm fine." I groaned and grabbed a beer from the fridge. 

"You're not, and I want to help. You're my younger brother, and it's my responsibility to make sure you're okay." She insisted. 

I was about to respond with a snarky comment, but Dad and Pops walked through the front door. 

"Mason! Glad you're out of bed," Pops grinned at me and set down a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter. "Your dad and I went out to get some food from the store, since your girlfriend is coming over tonight." 

I grimaced at the reminder that Sage was going to be here soon, but tried to make it look like a smile. "Yep, she's heading over now." 

Aleks grinned at me and sat down on the back of the couch. "Maybe she can cheer you up, yeah? Get you outta this funk." 

"Not a funk, just a stomachache," I reminded her as the door swung open. "Hey, Sage!" 

"Hey babe, hi Mr. and Mr. Milkovich." She waved towards them quickly, then headed into my room without a second word. 

I followed her in, and she quickly closed the door behind us. Sage grinned at me, venom in her smile, and kissed me fiercely. I pushed her off and grimaced. 

"Listen Sage, we need to talk..." I sighed and sat down on the bed. 

"First, let's just...you know.." She smirked and sat down on my lap, grinding on me slightly. 

"I don't wanna do this right now, we really need to talk about the other day." I moved her off gently and ran my hand through my hair. 

"What, you don't think I'm attractive?" Sage asked, tearing up and sniffling. "I knew it, you think I'm ugly..." 

"Sage, that's not-" 

"Oh, then what's the issue?" She moved back on my lap, giggling. "You think I'm hot, I think you're cute enough. Let's just bang, you know you want it." 

"Seriously Sage, we need to-" I was cut off when her lips pressed against mine again. I tried to push her away, but she kept her grip on me tight. She pushed me down against the bed and started to undo my pants. "I'm not kidding, stop." I said sternly, but she just rolled her eyes. 

"You're a teenage boy, you want this." Sage huffed and started going down on me. I groaned with discomfort and shoved her off of me, harsh enough so she stopped. 

"What's your problem?!" She yelled and moved back on me. "I'm your girlfriend, I'm allowed to do this!" 

I tried to snap back at her, but she covered my mouth with her hand and took off her pants. My eyes went wide and I kicked her without a second thought. 

Sage fell down to the floor and held her stomach, glaring at me. "Fine! You don't want this?! I'm leaving!" 

She rushed out the door and I slammed it behind her and slid down to the floor. I felt embarrassed and hurt and numb. A glint of silver shined from my bathroom. 

My razor. 

I have a couple friends who cut themselves. Never enough to cause any REAL damage, but in this shitty town, it gives them a little bit of control. Or they think they deserve it. 

I've never really understood the appeal until now. It makes sense. It feels like Sage is controlling my every move, whether she means to or not. It'll be nice to get some control back... 

And maybe I'm overreacting too. Maybe I really do deserve everything that Sage has done to me, if she's even done anything that's bad. I'm such an asshole for even thinking she might be abusive! 

I walked into the bathroom, grabbed it and held it up to my wrist gently. Am I really going to do this? It's a permanent scar, which I have plently of, but this would be the first that I'd done to myself. 

I shook my head, and without a second thought, pressed the blade down against my wrist. 3 lines appeared on my skin, little droplets of blood beading up. It felt...relaxing. 

I concentrated on the blade going into my skin, and the sticky, red blood seeping out that exact moment. 

I did it again and again, going up my arm when I didn't have enough room on my wrist. Soon, my arm was covered in tiny, red lines. Blood rolled down my skin and dropped on the cold tile floor of my bathroom. 

The reality of what I did finally hit me. I covered my mouth with my non injured arm's hand and held back a sob. Dad and Pops and Aleksandra, they're all gonna be so disappointed with me. 

I can't tell them, I can't or else they'll hate me. They'll get mad that I didn't tell them about Sage, and about how shitty I've been feeling this past week. I just have to make sure nobody finds out about this. 

"Hey, Mason, Sage just ran ou-" Pops walked into my room and I scrambled to hide the razor blade and my cut up arm. 

"Mason...please tell I didn't just see what I think I saw..." 

"Wh-What do you mean?" I tried playing dumb, but my stutter gave me away. 

"Mason..." Pops looked at me regretfully. "Gimme the blades, okay? I can help, I just need you to give me the razor now, please..." 

I stared at him, feeling my breathing pick up by the second. I finally gave in and moved my arms from behind my back, slowly passing Pops the blade. 

He stared at my cuts for a minute, and I couldn't tell if the look on his was sorrow, disappointment or disgust. I hope it's sorrow... 

Eventually, Pops moved away from me and towards the medicine cabinet. He came back with a bunch of gauze, and a damp washcloth. Wordlessly, he started wiping the cuts and holding pressure on them until they stopped bleeding. He wrapped the cuts with the gauze and looked up at me. 

"Why?" Pops said simply, his voice cracking a bit. "Why did you start, why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you..." 

"I'm sorry..." It's all I knew how to respond. What else was I supposed to say? 

"Don't say that, it's not your fault. Between being an EMT and...personal experience... I know that this stuff is hard to handle. I don't blame you." Pops looked away, refusing to catch my eye. 

"Personal experience...?" I asked, hoping I wasn't pushing any boundaries. 

"Growing up gay in the Southside with Frank Gallagher as a dad wasn't the easiest, especially before I got meds for being bipolar. I would stay in my room all day, just crying, sleeping and cutting myself. It scared the hell outta Mickey, that's for sure... He walked in on me cutting myself one day, right before I agreed to go to the clinic to get medication." 

"What happened...?" I asked quietly. 

"He just cleaned my cuts off without a word, then talked me into going to the clinic. Said he was scared about me," Pops looked down at me and held my hand. "And now I'm gonna tell you the same thing. I'm really fucking worried about you. You need to go to the clinic and get some meds for this, or else one day, you'll cut too deep. And I'll never get to see you again, and that thought alone scares the shit outta me." 

I bit my lip nervously and nodded. "I'll go with you...get some meds to help me." 

Pops smiled and ruffled my hair. "I'm proud of you for trying. We'll go tomorrow, for right now, let's just go get some food in you now, okay?" 

I nodded again and grabbed his hand. "I really am sorry, Pops... I don't wanna disappoint you." 

"I could never be disappointed in you, Mason. Not about this, or anything else." He squeezed my hand, and I think I saw him blink back a tear... 

"You two coming?" Dad yelled from the other room. "Pasta's gonna get cold!" 

"Yeah," Pops smiled at me and helped me up. "We're coming."


	15. Take My Heart, Pull It Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey always knew the guys at Fairy Tale were shady...
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Attempted sexual assault  
> Roofies/date-rape drugs  
> Panic attack  
> Self blame  
> Mention of weight loss
> 
> Title from "Body" by Mother Mother

*Mickey's POV*

I stormed into Fairy Tale, scowling at everyone. A few guys were looking me up and down, but I flipped them off and kept moving. I scanned the room for Ian's fiery red hair, and almost instantly spotted it. 

He was wearing that stupid, gold briefs, and eyeliner was smeared down the bags under his eyes. He looked so small compared to the other dancers and men surrounding him. His ribs were visible, too skinny to be healthy, especially since he lost so much weight in so little time. 

“Fuck, Ian…” I mumbled as I watched an older guy practically force him to swallow a pill. Ian fell limp against the man, but kept trying to dance on him. 

The older guy picked Ian up with ease as I watched his eyes flutter closed. I saw red and ran towards the two. 

"Hey! Better not fucking take him with you!" I yelled, fists clenched. 

"Oh, please," The guy laughed. "He works here, he's used to this. Free sluts in my opinion, if you want one, just take your pick of the litter."

Without a second thought, I swung my fist at his nose and he fell backwards. Ian dropped out of his arms and landed on the floor with a soft groan. 

"Fucking broke my nose, asshole!" He yelled and held his hand to his face. 

"I'll do more if you don't back the fuck off!" I pulled my fist back to land another blow, but one of the security guards held me back. 

"Assuming you're Mickey?" He said in a gruff voice. "Curtis told us a lot about you. Take him home, make sure he's safe." 

The guard nodded at me and shoved that old perv towards the front door. I lifted Ian up and over my shoulder with ease and started walking out into the brisk November air. 

"Way too fucking light…" I mumbled to myself and moved Ian so that he didn't fall off my shoulder. 

By the time we had gotten back to our house and I was walking up the steps, Ian was starting to wake up again. I took him off my shoulder and cradled him in my arms. 

"M-Mick…?" He opened his eyes, pupils dilated. "What happened, why am I not at the club? M-My shift isn't over and I-I need to make money for you and Svet and Yevgeny and Mandy and-"

I shushed him softly and pushed back his gelled hair. "It's okay, Ian. Right now, you just need to rest." 

I closed the front door behind us, and Mandy looked at me nervously. I mouthed "later" to her and headed into our bedroom. 

After setting Ian down on the bed, I grabbed some clothes and handed them to him. He stared at them for a second before looking back up at me. 

"H-Help…?" He whispered in a voice that broke my heart. 

"Of course, babe, anything." I pulled off the gold briefs, hating how they smelled like drugs and other men's cologne. 

I quickly helped Ian into his boxers, flannel pants and a long sleeve shirt. He moved his arms so they were wrapped around my waist, and I pulled him close to me.

“Someone gave me a drug…” He admitted quietly. “I tried to stop him, I'm sorry Mick.."

I looked at Ian and put my hand under his chin. “It’s okay, Ian, I’ve got you now. It's not your fault."

He nodded and leaned against my hand, yawning. I smiled a little and moved so we were lying down. “You can go to bed now, Ian. You’ll be safe here with me.” I promised with a kiss to his forehead.

Ian gave me a sleepy smile and within the minute he was asleep. 

*Ian’s POV*

I yawned and cuddled closer to Mickey, the sun streaming in and landing on his face. My head throbbed in pain, but I tried to ignore it for now. I must've been having some really hard liquor last night, my hangovers aren't usually this bad. 

"Morning, Mickey," I smiled and kissed his neck gently. "Wake upppp..." 

His eyes opened and he smiled back at me. "You feeling better now, Gallagher? You had me fucking worried last night."

"What, did I get really drunk or something? My head's killing me, I need some Advil or some shit." 

I took the blanket off myself and was about to get up to find medicine, when Mickey grabbed my hand and looked at me. "You don't...remember what happened last night?" 

He looked nervous, which started to get me nervous too. "No..." I said slowly. "Did I have a bad trip or something?"

"There was this guy, he, uh," Mickey paused and squeezed my hand gently. "He roofied you. Said you were a free slut, used to it since you worked there. He was gonna rape you, Ian."

"C'mon, Mickey," I scoffed and shook my head in disbelief. "You of all people should know that rape jokes aren't cool or funny. Seriously, what happened?" 

"I'm telling you the truth," Mickey moved closer to me, and I could see tears pricking his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Ian. I didn't let him do anything, I swear. He barely picked you up before I got there and broke that fucker's nose."

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and my cheeks heated up as I felt myself start to tear up like Mickey. This can't be happening, I'm more careful than that. I wouldn't take a random pill from a stranger...right? 

I thought about all of the 'what if’s. What if Mickey hadn't come when he had, and the guy had gone all the way? What if he didn't use protection, and I got sick? What if Mickey thought I cheated, and broke up with me before I could explain? What if this guy's plans were worse then just sex? 

"Ian, c'mon deep breaths, okay? Just breathe, you're okay. I've got you now." Mickey brought me back to reality and I gasped for air. I sobbed loudly and covered my mouth with my hand. 

"Shh, shh, you're safe...you're okay..." Mickey cradled me in his arms and rocked back and forth. “Nothing’s gonna hurt you now, I’m gonna keep you safe." 

I was shaking in his arms as he ran his hand down my back. My eyes were shut tightly, but tears still managed to stream down my face. 

"I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry," I cried into Mickey's shoulder. "I should've kn-known better, should've st-stayed safe."

"This isn't your fault, Ian," Mickey's voice cracked and he held me closer. "I would never in a million years blame you for this."

I nodded and held onto Mickey like he was a lifeline. He stayed there, comforting me until I finally calmed down. 

"Th-Thank you..." I mumbled and wiped my eyes. 

"Hey, I'm just being a decent boyfriend. Being here, helping you, every guy should do that in this kind of situation," Mickey gave me a tiny smile and wiped away a tear with his thumb. "I'mma call Fairy Tale, tell em to give you time off. Pick out some shit to watch, okay?"

I smiled at him and grabbed the remote. "Hey Mick?" I asked before he left. 

"Yeah?" 

"You really break that guy's nose...?" 

Mickey grinned. "You bet your fucking ass I did, Gallagher."


	16. Dark Alleys and Damn Snitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Thank you for the quick update I was worried mickey would of lost both of them Glad they both pulled thru  
> Since ur taking prompts Maybe you could write one where both of them are considered bad boys of the south side  
> and they are truly baaaad to the bone down right scary. They committ all types of crimes and the police are on the  
> look out for them. Their families look out for them bc even tho they are bad to the bone but the Gallagher's & Mickovich's  
> love them thru & thru you add more to it if you like. Thank you and I appreciated you doing the prompt
> 
> I wasn't quite sure what to do, but I hope you still like it!! Comment if you want a part 2!! :)

*Mickey’s POV* 

I sighed heavily and took my black gloves off. I had run at least 10 blocks away from the getaway car, which had taken me 20 blocks away from the bank I had robbed with Iggy and Colin. My ski mask had almost fallen out of my pocket twice when I was running to the dugouts, but I made sure I didn’t lose it. 

I learned against the bleachers and sighed, grinning. I love the thrill, the rush of adrenaline that courses through my veins whenever I do something dangerous like this. I've been arrested more times than I can count, but what's a couple months in juvie?

"You run here?" I heard a familiar voice come from the other side of the bleachers. I looked behind me just as Ian slid through the steps and landed next to me. 

"You think I'd stay with the getaway?" I scoffed. "The first fucking rule in the book is not to do that."

"Fair enough," Ian grinned and passed me a cigarette before lighting his own. "Did Mandy come with you this time?"

"Nah, she's still too much of a pussy." I grabbed the lighter from Ian. 

"Maybe she's just smart," Ian laughed and kissed me quickly. 

I kissed back, fast and needy. We haven't met up in a while, it would seem too conspicuous. So kissing Ian right now felt like the best goddamn thing in the world. 

"I missed you, Mick. I know you're careful, but I always get nervous that you'll get caught…" He sighed and gripped the back of my neck, keeping me close to him. 

"If I get caught, I'm telling them all the crimes you've committed. Then we can stay in prison together." 

"Oh how romantic," Ian chuckled quietly and took another deep breath of smoke. “Hey, Mick?"

“What’s up, Firecrotch?” 

“You think we would still be together if we weren’t doing this? If we grew up in fucking, like, West Elsdon?” 

“That prissy ass town?” I laughed. “Hell no, everyone that rich only cares about themselves. I would only notice you if you were wearing some fancy shit I didn’t already have. Nah, Fuller Park though, we would’ve gotten together if we lived there instead. Milkovichs will always be criminals, and the crime rate there is through the roof.”

“What if we added to that perfect record?” Ian grinned at me.

“I like how you think, Gallagher,” I took another deep breath from the cigarette between my fingers. “Already planning something, don’t you worry your cute little head about it just yet.”

“Aww, you think I’m cute.” Ian teased.

“Say that again and I’ll rip your fucking tongue out.” 

~••~

I sat down next to Mandy on the couch with a groan. “Fuck are we watching the news for?”

“Gallagher,” she whispered and turned up the volume. “He’s on the run, some guy ratted him out for that robbery he did a week back, the one of West Garfield.”

“Holy shit, really?” I sat up and my eyes widened in shock. “They have any leads?”

“Not yet, cop’s are fucking clueless like always, thank God.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I’m gonna kill the fucker that spilled about him.” I mumbled and leaned against the saggy cushions.

“I’m coming with,” Mandy said angrily. “You mess with Ian, you mess with all the Milkoviches.”

“You don’t have to do that for me.” I sighed.

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes and stood up. “He was my friend way before you two started fucking. C’mon, let’s go see if any of the Gallaghers know where he is.”

~••~

“Sorry guys, haven’t seen him since he got snitched on,” Fiona gave us a grim smile. “We’re tryna find him now though, if you wanna help out.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Mandy smiled back at her and moved into the living room. Fiona started heading in, but I grabbed her arm. 

“He take his meds with him?” I asked in a hushed voice. “It’s not safe to come back, and it’s not like he can just walk in to a fucking clinic and ask for all that shit.”

Fiona sighed and her eyebrows wrinkled down. “He took his Lithium, but not the emergency mood stabilizers. So if the meds get unbalanced…” She trailed off.

“We’ll just have to find him before that happens then, alright?”

“Alright.”


	17. Wishful Drinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hey! Could you write some fluffier counterpart to this where Mickey makes friends with the boyfriends of the other dancers and they all spend the night together chatting and watching out for their lovers as they work? Thank you!  
> >> That a story I would love to read:)
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Mentions of weight loss  
> Mentions of sexual assault
> 
> Title from "Wishful Drinking" by Tessa Violet

*Mickey's POV*

I glared at all of the men putting dollars into Ian's gold briefs. He convinced me to let him keep working here once we realized we couldn't pay the bills, and the heat got turned off. I started worrying too much when I let him work alone, so the manager lets me stay here with the other workers' boyfriends. 

"They won't hurt him anymore," One of the guys noticed me staring. "Most dudes are just here to escape from their wives or some shit. He's safe."

"My boyfriend is right over there," A different person at the table pointed to a dark haired guy dancing on stage. "He used to work across Boystown at one of the other chains, The Bulge. He got really hurt one night, some perv tried to rape him. We switched him here, and the workers have been helping him out a lot."

I was a little reassured, but was still on edge. Ian hasn’t gained back any of the weight he lost, but at least he’s not losing any more of it. The guys seem to like it though, one dollar bills were flying around him. 

“Try taking your mind off it for now,” He continued. “It’s tough at first, we know as well as anyone, but he’ll be okay. Lemme buy you a drink, just relax.”

I sighed and turned back to the table, instead of flipped around staring at Ian. “Yeah, yeah. As long as it’s not some prissy, weak shit.” 

“So a Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri?” 

“Sounds perfect.” I laughed, feeling myself start to calm down. 

“I’m Tyler,” The first dude introduced himself. “My guy’s right over there, next to the bar. Your boyfriend’s the redhead right? Curtis? When Santiago came home a while back, he said that Curtis had almost gotten hurt, but you saved him. They’re friends actually, San talks about him a lot.” 

“It’s Ian, Curtis is just a stage name. And I’m Mickey,” I nodded towards him. “I think I’ve heard the name Santiago before, seems familiar.”

“We’ve actually been getting kind of worried about Ian…” Tyler lowered his voice. “San says he’s losing weight, fast, and I can tell just looking at him. He’s gone down from a large to a small for his briefs, and in not that much time. Just...keep an eye on him, okay? Santiago went through the same thing a while back, you just have to be there for him. Don’t ambush him, okay?”

I sighed deeply and ran my hand through my hair, cringing at the grease. “I knew something was up...fuck…”

“Why don’t we go out sometime? Just the six of us. We can try to help Ian, and it might be nice to talk somewhere that doesn’t smell like sex and alcohol.”

“Guess going back to my house isn’t an option then,” I cracked a small smile and Tyler grinned back at me, rolling his eyes. 

“One vodka tonic, one rum and coke, and oooone Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri,” The guy came back, and I realized I still don’t know his name. “I know it’s your favorite.”

He put the red, frozen drink in front of me and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I’m not drinking this shit.”

“Well you obviously like fruity things, so…” He trailed off and Tyler bit his lip trying to keep back a laugh.

“I mean this in the nicest way possible, fuck you.” I smirked.

“I’m just fucking with ya, don’t worry,” He laughed and passed me the vodka tonic, and Tyler the rum and coke. “Daiquiri’s for my boyfriend, Grayson. I’m Evan, by the way, don’t know if I had mentioned that before.”

“Nice to meet ya, Evan, I’m Mickey,” I introduced myself again and took a sip of the clear drink. It only burned a little going down my throat, making me feel warm inside. “When do Grayson and Santiago get off? I assume the same time as Ian if they have the same shift.”

“Yeah, the three of them are all off in like…” Tyler checked his phone. “Twenty minutes-ish. We can hang out afterwards, if they’re not too tired out. Maybe watch a movie and order in?”

“That sounds like fucking heaven.” My mouth watered, and I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while. 

Eventually, it was midnight and the three boys came over to the table in their regular clothes. Ian kissed me gently and smiled. I grinned back at him and pulled him down on my lap. 

"Hey baby, you up to hanging out with the guys? We're gonna order in and just chill." I rubbed his back softly. 

"That sounds great! Grayson, Santiago and I have been wanting to get together outside the bar, this'll be great!" Ian's eyes lit up and he instantly started chattering with his friends. 

I couldn't help but smile at how energetic Ian got. I'm glad he has friends at work, it makes me feel like he's in safe hands even if I'm not here.

"Everyone ready to get drunk and high and stay up until the sun rises?" Tyler shouted and all of us hollered. 

"Let's fuck shit up!"


	18. How to Save a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: love these! Would you write a story where Ian has an eating disorder and is struggling as ends up bonding with sandy because maybe she’s struggled with something similar? And her and Mickey help him into treatment. You’re writing is great
> 
> Everyone's prompts and kind words mean the WORLD to me!! School's been a little crazy recently, going back and forth between online and in person- not to mention that we just got two kids and a teacher who all tested positive. But I promise, I do have all of your prompts in the works right now, and I'd love more! It's a nice distraction.
> 
> Love you all!!!! <3
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Vomiting (not in a lot of detail)  
> Eating disorders
> 
> Title from "How To Save a Life" by The Fray

*Ian's POV* 

"Fuck..." I whispered to myself. I turned to the side, staring at my stomach in the mirror with the pale moonlight seeping in from the window. I'm gaining weight, too much weight. Sure, my ribs are still visible, but not nearly as much as they were last month. 

I stepped onto the scale and crossed my fingers. "Come on come on, please please please..." I bit my lip and looked down. 134.6 pounds. 

I sighed and shoved the scale back in its spot with my foot. It's only a little underweight, so I need to lose more. I need to look good for Mickey and for all the wedding photos. I still have a couple months left to slim down, and then I'll stop. I just need to be perfect first. 

I slipped my shirt back on and snuck into mine and Mickey's bed. He groaned and turned to face me. 

"Why you waking me up, Firecrotch?" He mumbled. 

"Just had to take a piss," I lied with ease. "Go back to bed, Mick." 

He was out like a light in seconds, and I fell asleep smiling. 

~••~ 

"Who the FUCK is here at 10 in the morning?!" Mickey yelled and we walked downstairs towards the front door, where someone was knocking incessantly. 

I opened the door quickly and froze. Byron. He had a black trash bag filled with, what I assumed to be, Mickey's old stuff that he'd left over. 

"The fuck are you doin here, Barry?" Mickey sighed and grabbed the bag. "This my shit?" 

"Good riddance," Byron rolled his eyes. "You're such an asshole, Mickey. I'm so much happier with Cole now. Thanks for setting us up, Ian!" He turned to me with a warm smile, then back at Mickey with a harsh glare. 

I think Byron kept talking to me for a little bit about him and Cole, but I couldn't focus. He's like a skinnier, cuter version of me. That's why Mickey started dating him in the first place. To piss me off because I would know that he's better looking than me. That Mickey would always have a better ginger to turn to if I fucked up. 

Eventually Byron left, and Mickey closed the door. I stood still, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. 

"Ian...? Ian, you okay there?" Mickey put his hand on my shoulder, and I ran to the bathroom, throwing up everything I ate last night. 

Mickey stayed with me, rubbing my back and shushing me softly as I kept gagging. I choked back a sob and slumped against the wall. 

"I'm gonna get you some nausea medicine, okay? And we can lie down all day, and just relax. I'll make you some soup later if you feel up to it." Mickey instantly went into 'Protective Boyfriend mode'. 

He brushed some stray hairs out of my face and handed me my toothbrush with a glob of toothpaste on the bristles. "Brush your teeth while I go get the fluffy blankets." 

Mickey left and I stood up on unsteady legs. I braced myself against the sink and let some of the tears fall. I have to keep puking if it'll make me lose weight, then I can look good. I'll try not to eat, and when I do, I'll throw it up. It's a perfect system. 

I just have to keep it from Mickey. Once I'm thin, he'll think I'm handsome, and then I can stop. And I only need to wait until after the wedding. 

I brushed my teeth and layed down in bed next to Mickey. He smiled at me with sympathy and handed me the pills. I swallowed them quickly, then leaned against Mickey. His thumb brushed against my cheek softly and he moved closer to kiss my forehead quickly. 

"Go back to bed, baby," He whispered and covered me with the big, fluffy blanket. "You need to rest." 

I nodded and fell asleep with my stomach grumbling. Eventually Mickey was shaking me awake, a bowl of food steaming in his hand. I glanced at the clock, it was already half past one. 

"I thought you might want lunch, I made some soup." Mickey smiled at me and put the bowl on the table next to me. 

"Not hungry..." I mumbled and pulled the covers over me. "Thank you though..." 

Mickey ran his hand through my hair and sighed softly. "Alright, sweetie... I'll put the soup in the fridge, and whenever you ask, I can heat it up." 

He left with the bowl and I felt my eyes sting with tears. I can't eat, especially not in front of Mickey. He'd just judge me. Even if he won't tell me, I'd be able to tell. 

I counted and recounted my ribs poking out from under my skin until Mickey got back. He layed back down next to me like before I'd fallen asleep. It was comforting, but I still had the lingering thought that he didn't like how I looked. 

"Ian? You hear what I said?" Mickey tapped my shoulder lightly. 

"S-Sorry," I shook my head and turned my head to my fiance. "What did you say?" 

"I said that Sandy was supposed to come over next week, are you good with that?" Mickey tilted his head. 

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine by then," I moved closer to him and kissed him gently. "I can't wait to see her again." 

I felt my eyes start to get heavy, and within the minute, I was asleep again. 

~••~ 

I glanced down at the scale and sighed with relief. 117 pounds. Finally. My ribs were much more visible now, but at least I'm almost down to my goal weight. Sandy was gonna be here any minute and I still had to get ready, but I just had to check my weight. It was like...an impulse. I had to do it. I started talking off my shirt to change into a clean one when I heard Sandy outside. 

"I'm gonna take a dump, Mick, tell your fiance to get his ass outta bed!" She yelled, and the bathroom door creaked open. I tried to cover up, but she opened the door too quickly. 

Her eyes widened and I slammed the door in her face quickly. I felt my breathing pick up, and I collapsed on the lid of the toilet. Sandy's not supposed to know, nobody is! What if they don't think I've lost enough? What if they're disappointed because I wasn't losing weight fast enough? 

"Ian please, open the door," Sandy knocked gently and whispered. "I won't tell Mickey without you, I just wanna help." 

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I couldn't look at Sandy, I knew she'd be disappointed. 

"I-I promise, I'm trying to lose the extra fat, it's just taking a little longer than I thought it would. I'm so sorry, please don't tell Mickey..." 

"What?" Sandy's face turned into one of shock. "Ian, I'm not upset about you having 'extra fat'...fuck, you barely have any meat on you in the first place. How much more did you want to lose...?" 

"At least in the 90s, but even that felt high," I looked up at her and frowned. "I-I'm too fat Sandy, I don't know why you think I'm skinny..." 

"Jesus, Ian," She sighed in disbelief. "I can practically see your bones, you're like a twig. This isn't okay, you can get really hurt." 

I shook my head. "No, that's....that's not true, I need to lose more weight." 

Sandy sat down on the edge of the bathtub and looked up at me. "A little while back, I had an eating disorder. It go-" 

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but I don't have an eating disorder, Sandy." 

"What would you call this then?" She raised her eyebrows at me, and I stayed silent. "My disorder got to the point where I would faint all the time. Of course my shit for brain parents didn't notice. I was 17 by then, so 'old enough' to care for myself by their standards. One time I passed out at the mall, and someone called 911. I had to be hospitalized for a while, and the doctors were nice enough to do it pro-bono after my parents didn't show up." 

I listened intently, but shook my head along with Sandy's story. "I'm not denying that people have eating disorders, I'm just saying I don't have one." 

"Ian...you seriously think that? Your arms might have enough muscle to fool everyone, but without a shirt on, it's obvious something's going on. Be honest, when was the last time Mickey's seen you shirtless?" 

I bit my lip and avoided her eyes. "Not in a couple months. Whenever we have sex, I wear a shirt so he can't see..." 

Sandy grabbed my hand. "You have to tell him. You’re gonna end up hurting yourself, Ian…”

I pulled away and felt my eyebrows furrow. “That’s not true. I have it under control, I’m just losing a little weight so I look better.”

“That’s what I thought too, but it’s not true. I-It’s an addiction, you’re not gonna be able to stop. Please, let Mickey and I help you.”

I chewed at the inside of my cheek and looked away from Sandy. I knew deep down that she was right. I just wanted to lose 10 pounds in the beginning, but I kept going. I felt embarrassed that I would have to confess everything to Mickey. The purging, the skipping meals, the excessive exercise, all of it. I just wanted to look better for him, but based on Sandy’s reaction, he’s not going to be happy about this…

“Fine…” I eventually said in a hushed voice. “W-We can tell him…”

Sandy squeezed my hand gently and opened the bathroom door. Mickey was in the kitchen, munching loudly on some chips.

“You two fuckin in there or somethin, took forever,” He left the bag open on the counter and walked over to us. His whole body got stiff when he saw me without my shirt off. “Ian, what the hell happened to you?” He moved closer and put his hand on my shoulder. “You’re freezing…”

“I-I’m so sorry,” I choked out with my voice cracking. “Pl-Please don’t be m-mad, Mickey.”

“I’m not mad, of course I’m not,” Mickey said in a quiet tone and led me to the couch. He put a blanket over me and rubbed my leg. “Sandy, what happened?”

“I think Ian should tell you, Mick…” She answered, her voice low. They both looked at me.

“I just wanted to look better for you, Mickey...wanted to look as skinny as Byron does, or else you would leave again.” I mumbled and gnawed at my inner cheek again. 

“Shit, Ian,” Mickey tensed up next to me. “Byron doesn’t matter to me, he never did. I’ve always thought you looked perfect, ever since I saw you working the counter at the Kash & Grab. How long have you been doing this for?”

“Um...about 7 months now, but it got worse when we broke up…” I admitted, refusing to catch Mickey’s eye.

“I’m the worst boyfriend in the whole fucking world...I can’t believe I didn’t notice.” Mickey whispered and ran his thumb over my hand. 

“Please don’t think that this is your fault, I promise it’s not.” I finally looked back up at him and kissed him gently. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Can I ask how much you weigh?” Mickey asked quietly. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable.”

“117 pounds…” I mumbled.

“What?!” Mickey yelled, and I flinched away from him. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, I’m just worried about you…”

“I know you are,” I felt tears prick my eyes, and the water started to fall down my cheeks. “I just wanted to look good enough for you… I wanted to BE good enough.”

Mickey took a shaky breath and held me close, playing with my hair softly. “You’re always gonna be good enough for me, and look amazing no matter what. We need to get you some help, I don’t want something bad to happen…”

I wanted to protest, but instead, I just nodded and leaned against Mickey. “I’m sorry I made you worry, both of you.”

Sandy put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay Ian, we just want to keep you safe. I have a friend, kind of like a sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous, but for eating disorders. I can set you two up if you’d like that, I think it would help you. You can try, and if it doesn’t work out, you can stop.”

“I’ll try it out, Sandy…” I agreed and wrapped the blanket closer around me. “Thank you for not getting mad…”

“Of course we’re not mad, baby,” Mickey kissed the top of my head and gave me a soft smile. “We just want you to be safe.”

I smiled back at the two of them and grabbed both of their hands. “Thank you…”


	19. I Know That We'll Be Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if the bullets Terry fired into the honeymoon suite didn't miss...?  
> ~~~~  
> I have a ton of requests, but instead of finishing one and moving onto the next one, I'm a dumbass and did parts of all of them. So in the meanwhile, have this angsty fic I've had completed for like,,, a month :)
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> shootings  
> hospital setting and medical talk
> 
> Title from "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities

*Ian’s POV* 

Wheels screeched outside and Mickey and I looked out the window. A black car swerved into the hotel parking lot and I saw Terry Milkovich storm out, holding a gun. My eyes widened in shock and I pushed Mickey down to the floor as the boom of the gun firing filled my ears. 

A searing pain went through my chest and shoulder, and I fell backwards against the bed. I could hear Mickey start to yell loudly, but I couldn’t pay attention to anything besides the red hot pain spreading through the rest of my body.

“Keep your goddamn eyes open, Gallagher!” I could hear Mickey screaming, but I felt too weak to do even a minimal task like that. “Fuck!”

His voice was fading in and out and everything was getting muffled. I tried to reach up to calm Mickey down, but I’m not sure if my arm actually even moved. A ringing filled my ears and after that, I couldn’t hear Mickey anymore.

My eyes opened slowly, and I winced at how bright it was. I felt someone hug me gently and I hugged back, still confused.

“Hi, Ian…” The person said in their usual nasally, high pitched voice.

“Monica?” I asked, looking at the blond woman in front of me. She smiled sadly and nodded. “What’s going on, where am I?”

“You’re crossing over to the afterlife, Ian. Honey, I love you so, so much...but you can’t be here yet. Mickey needs you, so just open your eyes. I’ll see you eventually, but not yet, sweetie. Not yet…”

*Mickey’s POV* 

“Not yet, Ian, you’re not fucking dying on me, I’m not letting you go that easily.” I shook his head gently, but it just lolled around in my hands. I took a shaky breath in and choked back a sob. 

“Sir, please don’t touch your husband like that, you might end up causing him more damage,” The EMT said calmly. “His breathing is still shallow, but it’s only been 6 minutes, so we still have hope for him. The bullets hit his brachial artery and barely grazed his heart. As of right now, we’re not sure if he’s going to make it.”

My heart dropped and I felt myself grow numb. I can’t lose him, not now that I finally have him back. We’ve been through so much, and this honeymoon was supposed to be a break from the harsh world. A break from the trauma. 

“Sir? Sir, did you hear what I said?” The EMT put her hand on my shoulder. “We have room in the front seat of the ambulance for you to come to the hospital with the patient. And we need some information from you, okay?” 

I watched the other EMTs lift Ian into the ambulance as the lady helped me into the passenger’s seat. He looked too pale, too bloody, too...hurt.

“I need your’s and the patient’s names, age, any medication he is on and any illness he has.” The EMT sat behind me as we headed to the hospital.

“I’m Mickey Milkovich, he’s Ian Gallagher, he’s 26. Uh...lithium and Olanzapine and Klonopin as needed. He’s got bipolar.” I listed off everything in one breath and looked back at Ian.

The lady nodded and wrote it down. “We’re almost at the hospital, is there anyone else we should call?”

I thought about it for a minute then shook my head. “I’ll call everyone once he’s stable. I don’t wanna get them nervous when I don’t have any news to tell them.”

We got to the hospital and everything sped up. I glanced back at Ian, who looked even paler. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears in front of all these people. Everyone was moving frantically to help Ian and get him into the ER. 

“26 year old male, two GSWs to the chest and shoulder, he needs a double dose of morphine since he’s on lithium!” The lady who had been asking me questions started listing off everything I had said and followed Ian up the hallway. 

I couldn’t even catch another glimpse of Ian before they wheeled him off to the elevator. The doors closed and I was left in the ambulance bay, cold and scared. 

A nurse came outside and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Are you Mickey Milkovich?” I nodded. “We have a waiting area for you until Mr. Gallagher gets out of his surgery.” 

When he said that Ian was in surgery, it made time freeze. I knew that they were taking him to an operating room, but hearing someone else say it made it all feel more real. I followed him to the room and sat down, feeling numb.

The nurse left and I felt myself start to let the tears fall. Everything seemed wrong. This was supposed to be mine and Ian’s week, one of happiness and comfort and just being with each other. After so many goddamn years, the pieces finally fit into place. I’m finally out about being gay, Ian has meds now, neither of us are in prison and there’s nobody else to distract us from each other. 

This was supposed to be our time to be happy… 

~••~

“Ian, Ian c’mon, wake up!” I yelled and shook my husband’s shoulder roughly. “You can’t leave me, not now, we’re finally free Ian!” 

The flatline rang through my ears and I shut my eyes tightly. “BRING HIM BACK! BRING HIM THE FUCK BACK!”

“Time of death, 08:43.” The doctor said loudly and took his surgery gown off. “You could’ve done better, Dr. Milkovich. You could’ve saved him.”

“Wh-What?” I turned to the doctor, but he was already gone. The nurses around me all sighed and shook their head. I looked down, and suddenly I was wearing a surgery gown, covered in Ian’s blood. I had a steak knife in my hand, and it was shining with the same deep red liquid.

“You killed me, Mick,” Ian said, his voice raspy. “You did this to me. How could you? Do you hate me?”

“I-Ian, I love you, please-”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “If you love me, you would’ve saved me.” Blood started pouring out of his mouth and he coughed. Ian’s eyes rolled back in his head, and his voice went deep.  
“See? Look at me Mikhailo. You killed me.” 

I sat up sweating with tears running down my face. Ian was asleep next to me, the steady beeping of his heart monitor breaking the silence. I grabbed his hand and took a deep breath in. He’s not gone yet. He’s okay.

A doctor walked in and looked at me, surprised. “Oh! Mr. Milkovich, you’re awake. When we wheeled Mr. Gallagher in here after surgery, you were sleeping. We thought you needed the rest, it must’ve been an exhausting day.”

“H-How is he?” I sat up straighter and put my free hand on the railing of Ian’s bed. 

“His vitals seem fine, and we were able to fix both GSWs, the gunshot wounds. He should be fine as long as he takes it easy. He’ll need some physical therapy to work out that shoulder when he’s able to put some weight on it again, but that’s a whiles away. We’re going to have to monitor Mr. Gallagher’s recovery, so you’ll have to schedule an appointment with the nurses up front. That’s all for now, any questions?”

I shook my head and the doctor left, closing the door behind him. I sighed and put my head on Ian’s uninjured shoulder. I just want him to be safe, why does life always have to fuck us? 

“M-Mickey…?” I heard Ian’s raspy voice say as his head turned to face me.

“Ian, fuck, you’re okay,” I put my hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead softly. “You had me fucking worried…”

“‘M sorry...didn mean to…” Ian’s words slurred together, I assume because of the anesthesia. 

“It’s not your fault, it’s Terry’s. I swear, I’m gonna kill him.” I felt my face flush red with anger.

“Cops’ll get to him, Mick, ‘s okay,” Ian mumbled with a smile. “Jus wan cuddles, don wanna worry bout him.”

“That sounds like a plan,” I gave him a small grin and climbed into the bed, on his right side so I didn’t touch either of the wounds. “I love you, Ian.”

“Love you too, Mickey…” Ian looked at me with glassy eyes. “Gnight..”

And then he was out like a light. I smiled at his soft snores and kissed his forehead one last time before closing my eyes.


	20. Black-Haired Ginger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt (on the Gallavich Crime AU): yes we need a part two to this. Im liking this so far just greedy and need more thank you I am enjoying this fic a lot
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> T**ry Milkovich ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°) mentioned

*Ian’s POV*

I grimaced as the smell of bleach and chemicals filled my nose. As bad as it smelled, I knew it would stain my hair and make sure nobody could recognize me. I was still trying to figure out a way for Mickey and my siblings to find me, but I’m sure there’s police everywhere. 

I plopped the thick dye in my hair and combed it through. It smells even worse up close…ugh. I watched my ginger hair slowly turn darker, and I frowned. My hair was always something I took pride in. Proof that I wasn’t Frank’s son. 

I dyed my stubbled and my eyebrows, then started the timer. The only good part about the dark hair is that I can look like Mickey and tease him about it. 

Mickey… fuck, I miss him. It's hard to not see him every day. The last time I saw him was over two weeks ago, hell that was the last time I saw anyone. I'm almost out of food, no matter how much I'm rationing. That's why I need to get in contact with my family. 

I picked up the burner phone I had gotten at the store when I went to get dye and quickly dialed Mickey’s number.

“Yeah?” He answered briefly and in a sharp tone. 

“Mick, it’s me, it’s Ian. Listen, you gotta get a burner phone and call this number on it. You can’t have the cops trying to trace your calls, and if they ask what this number is, just tell ‘em it was spam. I love you.” With that, I hung up and took a deep breath. At least now he knows I’m safe, and he’ll tell the rest of my family.

I ran my hair through my hair nervously, and winced. “Ew…” I stared at the black gunk on my hand and ran it under the sink. The timer was close enough to being done, so I just stuck my head under the cold water and squeezed out the excess dye. I took a towel and dried my hair quickly, then looked back up in the mirror. I looked...different. Not bad necessarily, just...different.

I sighed and tried to wipe off the edges of my skin which had been stained black. After a while, I heard the burner phone ring, and I quickly picked up. 

“Hey Mick.” I grinned and layed down on the saggy mattress in the motel room. 

“How are you holding up, Ian? I miss you.” I heard Mickey whisper on the other end of the line.

“I miss you too, Mickey,” I said back to him, feeling a little emotional. Who knows when I’m gonna be able to see him next? “I’m okay for the most part. I dyed my hair black, so that’s fun. I stayed at that shitty, cheap motel on South Pulaski for one night, the Midway Inn. I got fucking bed bugs, and I broke out with rashes.”

“Serves you right for not telling me where you were for a month. Had me and your siblings worried shitless.” He huffed. 

“Sorry, Mick, I wanted to let the buzz die down before I tried getting in contact with you guys. As soon as I got here, I tried to call.” 

“Where the fuck are you, by the way?”

“Border of Louisiana and Texas. I’m tryna head to Mexico, I’ll be safe there.”

“Fuck…” I heard Mickey sigh. “Guess I’m not gonna see you for Thanksgiving, huh?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Guess not… I’ll see you eventually, Mick. There’s gotta be a way. Maybe if I snitch, they’ll let me off easy.”

“God I hope so. I miss you so much, you had me fucking worried.”

“Aw, am I turning you into a softie?” I teased, and I could practically see Mickey’s blushing face.

“Oh fuck you,” He mumbled. “Your family and I are trying to figure out ways to get you home safe, but snitching might be your best bet. I could fess up to some shit too, we can spend the year in jail together.”

“Mick, I’m not gonna make you rat yourself out,” I sighed and sat down. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again, but it won’t be because of that."

"Fine…" Mickey said quietly with a small scoff. "I just… I really miss you. I know I've said that, but I mean it. Some shit went down when you were gone, and it made me realize how much I rely on you."

"Is everything okay?" I felt myself freeze with anxiety. 

"I'll be fine, not like I'm dead or anything. Just shit with Terry. Mandy and Sandy helped me through it, but I just wish I had my favorite redhead home with me."

"I promise, I'm gonna find a way to get to you again. Even if it means I have to snitch and get a target on my back." I said gently, wanting nothing more to rub my thumb against his cheek and tell him it's okay. 

"Better fucking come soon," Mickey interrupted my thoughts. "Fiona's flipping her shit. I'm just needy and want to kiss you and be with you, but she's freaking out."

"Mick. I'm coming back, don't worry. You'll get your cuddles soon enough." I smirked. 

"It's not cuddles, I just want to fuck." He said in his "tough" voice. 

"Think what you want."


	21. Dangerous Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Could you do a prompt where their daughter is in an abusive relationship and her girlfriend is hurting her causing her to develop an eating disorder and Ian and Mickey find out and Mickey gets really upset and they have to help their daughter
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Pressured into showing nudes  
> Eating disorder (refusing to eat and skipping meals)  
> Depressive episode  
> Panic attacks  
> Mental/verbal abuse
> 
> Mentions of the following:  
> -insomnia  
> -suicidal thoughts  
> -self harm  
> -dissociating

*Aleksandra's POV*

"C'mon just show me!" Madison giggled over FaceTime. "Just a bra pic, it's the least you can do."

I faked a smile and sighed. "Okay, okay… I'll show you."

I flipped my camera and took off my shirt, exposing my stomach to Maddy. I really didn’t want to do this, but she always pressures me, so I just decided to skip the argument and suck it up. Maddy frowned and her eyebrows scrunched up. 

"Are you sure you're losing the weight? You still look fucking fat. I thought you said you would do this for me."

"I am," I scoffed and flipped the camera back. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

"I mean, you look slimmer from the front, but I can still see all that fat from the side. I wanted you down at least another 10 pounds, babe."

I closed my eyes tightly and nodded slowly. "I know, you're right… sorry."

"It's okay, just try to lose it soon. I don't want to have to tell people that I'm dating someone as fat as you." She rolled her eyes. 

"W-Wait, you're not telling people, right? You know I'm not out to my family yet, I wanted to wait." My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath. 

"I'm not yet, but maybe that'll be a punishment if you don't lose the weight." Madison smirked and hung up on me. 

I bit my lip and tried to hold back some tears. She wouldn't do that, right? That has to be an empty threat. My thumb scrolled down to Riley's contact number and pressed 'FaceTime' quickly. 

"Pick up, pick up…" I mumbled and took a shaky breath. 

"Hey, Lexie!" She answered in her perky voice, but her demeanor changed as soon as she saw my face. "Aleks, are you okay?"

"I thought I lost the weight, but she said I was too fat. I have to get skinny, or else she'll tell everyone. I can't do that, I can't," I said all in one breath and put my phone propped up on my counter. 

"Deep breaths, please Aleks, you're gonna get yourself worked up," Riley said in a soothing voice. "Try to calm down, it's all gonna be okay."

I started scratching at my arms and shaking. "No no no, it won't be okay, she's going to tell everyone unless I look good enough, I-I HAVE to look good enough."

"I'm heading to your house, okay? I don't trust you to be alone right now, please try not to scratch yourself." She said and I could see her walking out the door. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called, this was a mistake." I shook my head and moved forward to click the red button. 

"Don't end the call, Lexie, please. You're not bothering me, I just want to help you," Riley was jogging down the street, and I could see her turn onto my block. "I'm almost there, just keep taking some deep breaths."

I pulled my knees to my chest and rocked back and forth, hoping it would calm me down. It only helped a little though, and I could feel myself getting more and more anxious. 

Eventually, I saw Riley walk into my house just as the call ended. She walked into my room and sat down in front of me. 

"Lexie? Lex, try to follow my breathing. In for 4 seconds, hold for 5, out for 6, repeat. You've got this." I grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly as she over exaggerated her breathing. 

By the time I had finally calmed down, Riley and I were lying down beside each other and I felt so emotionally drained. She tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear and smiled. 

"Madison's being a bitch again?" She asked. "That's what I thought you were talking about, but I wanted to make sure."

"Yeah… I didn't lose enough weight apparently, so she's threatening to out me."

"Lexie, that's… that's really fucked up. You shouldn't be listening to her. I know you're kind of being blackmailed now, so you can't leave, but I really don't think it's healthy for you to stay with her…"

"I'm fine, honest Lee. Today was just a little stressful. Thank you for helping me." I blushed and smiled. 

Riley paused and looked at me worriedly. "Of course I helped you, darling…you were so upset, I’m scared about you Lex...." Her phone went off and she sat up, quickly checking the message. "I have to get home, but tell me if something else happens, okay?"

"Got it," I nodded. "Bye Riley!"

I waved her off as she left, and as soon as she was out of sight, I sighed and put my head back against the headboard. I can’t believe I embarrassed myself like that in front of one of my only friends. Especially about something that I was over exaggerating. 

Madison isn’t as bad as Riley made her out to seem, but she thinks that Maddy’s toxic because I talked shit about her. Honestly, it’s my fault. If I had lost the weight, none of this would’ve happened in the first place. How could I have been so stupid?

“Yo, Aleks! Come on out for dinner!” I heard Dad yell from the other room.

“Not hungry!” I called back to him. He opened my door and stared at me with his eyebrows high up his forehead.

“Bullshit, you said that you didn’t eat lunch earlier, and I know you don’t eat breakfast. You have to eat.”

I rolled my eyes and climbed out of bed, crossing my arms the whole time. 

“Don’t gimme that attitude, Aleksandra, I’m just tryna get you to eat.” Dad sounded mad, but I could hear the concern and worry underlying it. “Fuck’s up with you?” 

I didn’t answer him though, I just scoffed and sat down at the table. I pulled my sleeves past my hands so I could have sweater paws and stared at my plate full of food. Mason threw a spoonful of peas at me, and I glared at him.

“You okay?” He whispered. 

“Fine…” I mumbled back at him and put my head in my arms. Everything felt numb. First, I felt really anxious and I had that huge panic attack in front of Riley. But then I got angry and defensive, and now I’m numb.

“Lex, you want some chicken?” Pops looked up at me and tilted his head. 

“Nope…” I sighed and turned my face down so I couldn’t see anyone. Everyone chatted around me throughout the night, and I just stayed there with my head hidden and not eating. Eventually, Mason left, giving me a small squeeze on my shoulder.

“You want to tell us what’s going on, kiddo?” Pops took my hand in his.

“I just wanna go to bed…” I mumbled and pulled my hand away. “Night Dads.”

I heard them try to talk to me, but I just ignored them and trekked to my room. I wanted to sleep, that wasn’t a lie, but I just couldn’t. As soon as my head hit the pillow, all of the tiredness I was feeling faded away. My mind started going a thousand miles an hour.

I know Riley thinks Madison's abusive, but she really isn't, right? I mean, Maddy just wants me to look my best, that’s all. I’m such an idiot for even considering that I’m being abused.

Days passed with me laying in bed 24/7, my mind racing and worrying about everything. Madison hadn't stopped by, but she texted nonstop. She kept telling me that just because I wasn't feeling okay doesn't mean I get to gain back the weight. She still wants me to look good enough for her. 

Riley on the other hand wouldn't stop coming over. She visited me everyday after school to bring my homework, not that I ever did it. Riley tried to convince me to tell Pops and Dad about what Madison's been saying to me, but I don't want to. They'll be so disappointed. 

I know they said it was okay that I wasn't feeling good, and they think I have the stomach bug, but I can tell they're getting worried. Riley's worried too, she thinks I might never get out of bed at this rate. 

I groaned and flipped on my side, then picked up my phone. It was only noon, and I already had a dozen missed messages from Maddy. School doesn't end for another 3 hours, and nobody would be home until then. My stomach grumbled, but I couldn’t even convince myself to get out of bed. Besides, I’m supposed to be losing all the extra weight anyways, this is a good thing. 

My finger hovered over the call button for Riley’s contact. She’s home schooled, and her school day gets off around noon. Maybe she won’t mind if I call…? Ugh, who am I kidding, of course she’ll mind. I’m just wasting her time. 

The door creaked open and I sat up quickly. Nobody should be home right now. “Hello?” I called out, wringing my hands nervously in my lap.

“Hey Aleks…” Pops and Dad walked into my room, and I tilted my head. 

“What’s going on, why are you two home early?” I asked, starting to calm down.

“Lex, we’re worried about you,” Dad sat down on the edge of my bed. “I know you said you have the stomach bug, but it should’ve cleaned up by now. You barely eat, you haven’t gotten out of bed in forever, except when you absolutely need to.”

“This is what happened when I had depressive episodes,” Pops added. “I don’t know if this is depression or extreme anxiety or bipolar or-”

“I’m just tired,” I said quickly, looking up at them with wide, scared eyes. “Exhausted, y’know?”

“For a week?” Pops said, his eyebrow raising up slightly. “That’s not typical, Aleksandra. Mental illness runs in the family, you know that. I want you to tell us if anything’s going on, okay? We won’t be mad.”

“Insomnia, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, eating disorders, self deprecating thoughts, cutting or burning yourself, dissociating, whatever. You can tell us,” Dad continued. “We’re always here for you.” 

“Th-That’s not it,” I lied easily. “I’m just tired.”

Dad nodded and squeezed my leg gently before the two of them left. Did I feel bad for lying? Of course I do, they’re the best parents ever and I’m just hiding things from them. But I don’t want to worry them, they’ll just over exaggerate the whole thing and try to get me help. I don’t need help, I’m fine. 

I’m fine.

I’m fine...right?


	22. Darling, You're Glowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: oh wow that was perfect. You are such a good writer omg!!! literally never stop lol. I feel bad giving more prompts but if you get tired of writing so much ( beautiful) angst, maybe something fluffy like a Gallagher family movie night or something with them all in the house being happy and cute (and preferably with Ian on mickeys lap cause awww)  
> but yeah I just love your stories :)
> 
> I know I say this all the time, but y'all are too sweet- <3 never feel bad about giving prompts, I'm glad you like my stories enough to request your ideas!!
> 
> This one-shot is definitely on the shorter side, but I think it's still cute. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!! <3
> 
> Title from "This Side of Paradise" by Coyote Theory

*Ian’s POV*

I swerved in between my siblings to get the popcorn from the microwave. Debbie had the salt and butter ready for me, and I quickly poured the fluffy popcorn into the bowl. Debs shook it around and left to bring it to the living room. 

“Who the fuck ordered a calzone from the pizzeria?!” Fiona yelled from the other room. I ran back to her and grabbed it.

“That would be me, thanks Fiona.” I grinned and sat down on the couch with my feet propped up on the coffee table. 

“Of course your extra ass would get something other than pizza.” She rolled her eyes playfully at me and I stuck my tongue at her. 

“Hey, don’t make fun of my boyfriend,” Mickey pointed a finger at Fiona and she smiled warmly at him. “But you’re a fucking weirdo, Ian. I’ll take a plain slice, like a normal human.”

Lip handed him a slice as he flopped on the couch next to me. I moved onto his lap quickly and kissed his neck. 

“Gayyyy!” Mandy yelled and sat next to us with her legs on mine. 

“Damn right,” Mickey flipped her off and grinned, then tilted my head gently to kiss me. I kissed back and snuggled closer to him. 

“Alright, so what movie are we watching tonight?” Debbie came in with the popcorn and sat diagonal from us. 

“I was thinking we could watch some kind of horror movie?” Carl said as he closed the lid to the pizza box. 

“I vote Scream,” I raised my hand. “Skeet Ulrich is so fucking hot in that.” 

“Agreed!” Fiona, Mickey and Mandy yelled at the same time. 

“I’m into girls, but yeah, he’s banging.” Debbie laughed. 

Fiona put the movie in and sat down next on the sofa chair. The opening sequence started and everyone quieted down. I looked at Mickey and smiled, then kissed him again. He grinned down at me and brushed a stray hair out of my face before turning back to the movie. 

I leaned against Mickey’s chest and started eating my calzone.

~••~

“Night Mandy.” Mickey mumbled against the couch cushion. 

“You’re not coming home with me?” She asked as she put on her jacket. 

“Wanna stay with Ian.” He said, grumpy as always and obviously falling asleep. 

Mandy smiled at me and I waved goodbye. “Get home safe, Mandy.” 

She closed the door behind her and I looked at Mickey. His eyes were closing slowly, and he was holding onto my arm like a koala with a tree branch.

“Mick, we should head upstairs to my bed, you’ll be sore in the morning if you fall asleep on the couch.” I shook his shoulder and pulled the blanket off of him. 

“Screw you,” He groaned, pulling the blanket back over himself. “Don’t wanna move.”

“Fine, but I’m going upstairs,” I faked a heavy sigh and started to walk away. “Night Mickey.” I said, having no intention of actually leaving him.

“Nooo,” Mickey reached his arms up for me. “Don’t leave, asshole.”

He huffed and got up, following me upstairs quickly. I smirked at him and put my arm around his shoulder. “Come on, sleepy head, let’s go to bed.” 

I led Mickey to my room and made sure he had a pillow under his head. He put his hand on my cheek once I had laid down next to him, and I leaned against it. His thumb brushed against my cheekbone and I went in to kiss him. Mick kissed back as lightly as a feather, and I swear, I've never felt so loved in my whole goddamn life. 

"I love you Mickey," I whispered against his lips. "So so much."

"Love you more." He kissed me softly one last time before nuzzling his head in my neck. 

A couple minutes later, I heard quiet snores coming from him. I put my head on top of his and kissed the top of it gently before closing my eyes and falling asleep.


	23. If I Went and Hurt My Body, Would You Love Me the Same?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: wow i...that was fantastic, I always love fics where they get Ian help for an eating disorder because it’s practically canon with that line about starving he said to Mandy and just fits so well with his like self worth issues aughhh protective Mickey and the sandy friendship are everythingggg  
> if you want, do more fics with this storyline like them dealing with recovery or Ian having to be hospitalized? Or the rest of the Gallagher’s helping him through it
> 
> I think about the line whenever I write Ian with an eating disorder-
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Hospitalization  
> Talks about self harm and suicide   
> Dissociation
> 
> Title by "Line Without a Hook" from Ricky Montgomery

*Ian's POV*

I stared at the plate in front of me. The serving was smaller than Mickey's and Sandy's, but it still felt like so much food. 

"Ian…can you try taking a bite for me?" Mickey asked quietly. 

I looked up at him and shook my head. "I-It's too much…"

Sandy and Mickey gave each other a quick glance and I felt my cheeks heat up. 

"If you're gonna have secret conversations with your eyes in front of me, just say it out loud." I huffed and crossed my arms. 

"Ian, you're making progress, and we're so proud of you…but maybe we should think about hospitalization? It's the only thing that really helped me when I was going through this." Sandy said quietly.

I froze in my chair, quickly shaking my head again. "No, that's…no. I'm not going back to the fucking nuthouse." Mickey looked at me sympathetically and moved his hand so it was on mine. 

"Ian, it's not-"

"No! No, I felt like a fucking zombie in that place!"

"That's only because they weren't sure what was going on with you," Sandy explained calmly. "If you go there on your own free will, especially for an eating disorder, they won't have to sedate you."

I paused for a minute before squeezing Mickey's hand and nodding. "The doctors need to tell me that though. It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I don't trust them…"

"I completely understand. We'll work with your doctor to make sure you feel as safe as possible." Sandy smiled at me and held my other hand. 

"My BMI isn't the required weight, remember? They only hospitalize lower than 13, I'm 13.8, they won't take me." I mumbled and looked down at my plate, which was still untouched. 

"It's close enough, so they'll accept you. Besides, you're bipolar, so they'll add that into the consideration. And you can still get admitted if your BMI is over 13, under 13 is just mandatory." Sandy kept using that calm voice that was starting to get on my nerves. 

I want to go, don't get me wrong. I want to get better for my family and friends and honestly, for myself too. I'm just scared… 

What if this takes longer than we thought? What if I'm there for months and months? If my bipolar medication dosages get off again, what if the doctors think I need to be sedated and everything goes back to the way it was the first time? 

The 'what ifs' swirled in my head uncontrollably, to the point where I couldn't hear a word anyone else was saying. Mickey shook my arm gently and looked up at me with kind eyes. 

"Are you okay? You spaced out there for a second." He said quietly. 

"Fine, just worrying. My brain keeps making up these awful situations, and it's starting to get to me…” I admitted, trying to keep back the tears from falling.

“You’ll be safer there, Ian, and nothing bad will happen. If inpatient treatment isn’t working, we can talk to your doctor about switching to out-patient.” Sandy said softly. 

After a minute, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll go.”

~••~

I walked into the building, holding onto Mickey and Fiona’s hands. Lip, Sandy, Debbie and Carl stood in front of me, helping me sign in. 

“It’s okay, sweets,” Fiona squeezed my hand and kissed my forehead gently. “We’ll visit you all the time, and I’ll make sure the doctors are treating you right.”

I bit my lip and tried to blink back the tears welling in my eyes. Mickey noticed and put his hand gently on the back of my neck. “You’re okay, Ian. I promise, you’ll be okay.”

The doctor came towards me before I could answer and told me it was time for me to say my goodbyes and head inside. I hugged everyone tightly and started to go inside. As I looked back for a second, I saw them all waving at me and smiling with teary eyes. 

“Ian, once you get to your room, you’ll need to take off your shoes and your pants in front of me.”

“Wh-Why in front of you?” I asked quietly.

“We need to make sure you don’t hide your belt or shoelaces, and try to hang yourself later. Even if you're not coming in for suicidal thoughts, you have a family and personal history of that.” She said swiftly and closed the door to my room after we walked in. 

It was degrading to undress in front of this random lady, exposing my thin stomach and the scars covering my thighs. My fingertips brushed against my ribs and the nurse noticed it.

“I know it seems impossible, trust me. I chose this job because I struggled with an eating disorder in the past. You can get through this, and I think you made the right decision coming here.” She smiled at me, handed me my new sweatpants and socks with the sticky bottoms, then left. 

I sat down on the creaky bed, clothes in my lap. I know this will help me eventually, but in the meanwhile, it just feels...wrong. I don’t want to be in this pale room, it feels boring and bland compared to the posters and loud noises from my room at home. The bed was the same size, but it felt so much bigger, empty without Mickey next to me.  
I sighed and started scratching at my stomach. It felt too thick, too fat. I know nobody else thinks that, and they think I’m too skinny, but they’re wrong. 

“Ian? Did you hear what I said?” A man asked me. I blinked and my eyes came into focus. I was in a different room now, surrounded by other people sitting in chairs and wearing the same sweatpants and socks as I was. I shook my head, confused. 

“Sorry, what?” 

“I asked if you wanted to introduce yourself to the group.” The man asked me, tilting his head slightly to the side. 

“I, uh...sure. I’m Ian Gallagher.” I fell silent after that, not really knowing what else to say.

“Do you wanna talk about why you’re here?” He prompted, probably sensing my discomfort and confusion. 

“My husband and his cousin caught me checking my weight in the bathroom, and they could see my ribs, so them and my siblings convinced me to come here.” I said quickly, avoiding eye contact. 

“Well we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that you get healthier, alright?” The man smiled at me and moved on to a different person. I felt myself zone out again, until the man cleared his throat loudly. I looked back up, and everyone was gone.

“So I’m guessing you’re not adjusting to the hospital well?” He asked, moving his chair closer to me.

“You could say that,” I laughed. “Are you, like… the therapist here?”

“Yeah, my name’s Dr. Petrilla, it’s nice to meet you, Ian.” He held out his hand and I shook it quickly. 

“Nice to meet you too.” I smiled at him.

“So, we have these group therapy meetings every other day at 4pm, after visiting hours end. When there isn’t group therapy, you’re free to hang out in the rec room. One-on-one therapy, like this, is also on those days at 7pm, right before dinner.” Dr. Petrilla explained, handing me a schedule. 

I took the schedule and looked it over. “Thanks, Doctor...can I head back to my room now?” Dr. Petrilla nodded and opened the door for me to leave.

~••~

“I don’t wanna do this anymore, Mickey,” I paced my room and ran my hand through my hair, tugging at it slightly. “I wanna be home with you, this isn’t helping. I’m gaining the weight back, but I haven’t had urges to cut myself like this since I got clean. It’s only been 2 weeks, but it’s not working.”

Mickey held my shoulders gently, stopping me from walking away. “Hey. You’re okay, Ian. Just take some deep breaths, alright?”

I nodded and put my hands on Mickey’s waist. “I’m sorry… I know you want me to get better, but I just, I can’t do this.”

“Don’t feel bad, remember what we told you in the beginning? If this way isn’t helping you, then we can try out-patient therapy. This is obviously hurting more than helping, so let's talk to your doctors about another way.” Mickey brushed my hair back and kissed me gently.

I moved my hands up so they were on either side of his head, and I kissed back like my life depended on it. “I really am sorry, Mick…”

“No need for apologies, darling, it’s okay.” He kissed my forehead and opened the door. “Let’s get you out of here.”

We talked to Dr. Petrilla and my main psychiatrist, Dr. Embers, for a while. Eventually, we found a way to do my therapy sessions without me freaking out. I gained back most of the weight gradually, my family helping me the entire time. 

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Mickey stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my stomach. My ribs weren’t visible like they used to be, and I had even gained back so muscle. I looked good, healthy. Mickey kissed my shoulder blade and I leaned my head back on top of his.  
And in that moment, I knew that everything would finally be okay.


	24. Nobody Ever Notices Until It's Too Late...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: I can’t wait for the next part!   
> >>And one where their daughter commits suicide and they find her?  
> >>I loved this so much, your an amazing writer! I was wondering in you could do one where Ian and mickeys daughter goes through a depressive episode or find out she is bipolar?
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Suicide attempt  
> Mental health issues  
> Abusive relationship   
> Self harm (cutting)  
> Depressive episodes/refusing to get out of bed

*Aleksandra’s POV* 

I didn’t get out of bed for another week after that. Riley tried to help me, she tempted me with movies and food and parties with booze, but I couldn’t bring myself to get up. Of course, every now and then I would have to get out of bed, but I never got up without it being absolutely necessary. 

About an hour ago I finally got up to go to the bathroom. Once I was done though, I just sat down in the bathtub and felt tears run down my face. I was numb, and if we’re being honest, I didn’t even know I was crying until a tear hit my hand. 

What’s the fucking point anyways? Riley’s my only friend, Madison is only dating me because she wants to control me. She said that I was “skating on thin fucking ice” sometime last week, that I was getting too lazy and gaining too much weight. I didn’t even fight her on it, I felt too drained to even do that.

Dad and Pops might miss me, and Mason too. But they’d get over it eventually, right? They’d move on quickly, probably wouldn’t even think about me again after the funeral.

Why am I even thinking like this? I wasn’t actually suicidal, right? I just...fuck, I just wish I was dead. I don’t want to be forced to lose weight, and I don’t want to be dating Madison. 

That’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that to myself. On some level, I’ve always known. Riley suggested that she was abusive, and I knew she was right. I was just trying to convince myself that someone loved me. I sighed and put my head back against the edge of the tub, looking up at the razor dangling above my head on the soap holder. 

It would be so easy to just slit my wrists and fade away. Imagining that is the first thing to make me feel anything in the past month. I reached up and grabbed the razor, then broke it with ease. It was a flimsy plastic, probably from the dollar store. I stared at it for a minute before holding it against my wrist and pressing down firmly. 

My skin burned under the blade, and I felt myself tense up. The blood started dripping out quickly and I let out a loud sob before covering my mouth with my non-injured hand. I felt...relieved, surprisingly enough. So I did it again.

I kept going, and I kept going, until my arm was covered in red cuts. I took a deep breath in and slid the razor from my wrist to the middle of my forearm. It stung like hell and I quickly ran the water before black dots spotted my vision. 

I grabbed my phone and texted three simple words to group chat with Dad, Pops, Mason and Riley.

I love you.

*Riley’s POV*

I felt my phone buzz beside me on the table. I turned it on and glanced at it, becoming more alert when I saw the new group chat with a simple “I love you” text. I only recognized Aleksandra’s number, but as the frantic texts came in from the other three numbers, I realized that it was Mason and Mr. and Mr. Milkovich. The texts kept flooding in as I grabbed my phone and ran out the door. I heard my mom yell after me, but I ignored her.

By the time I got to Aleks’ house, one of her dads was at the front door, unlocking it quickly. I rushed inside and saw the commotion. Mason and their dad were in the bathroom, and I heard crying coming from the room. I ran in and all I could see was blood.

I covered my mouth with my hand quickly and ran to Aleksandra. She was fading in and out of consciousness, and blood wouldn’t stop pouring out of her arms. 

“No no no…” I mumbled and pushed her hair back gently. “Someone call a fucking ambulance!”

“I already did, they’ll be here soon,” Mason whispered, obviously in shock. “She’s gonna die…”

“Y-You can’t think like that, Mason,” Mr. Milkovich, I think Aleks’ Pops, said as he pressed a towel to her wrists. “Sh-She’s gotta make it th-through this…”

The other dad walked through the door as I heard sirens in the distance. He started pacing the bathroom and running his hand through his hair. “Fuck...I knew we should’ve sent her somewhere, got her a therapist or some shit.”

“She wouldn’t have gone,” I muttered under my breath. “She told me herself that she didn’t want to do anything like that. I should’ve tried more to convince her…” 

The ambulance finally pulled up before anyone could respond, and the EMTs quickly carried Aleks into the backseat, then drove off. I stared at the bloody bathtub for God knows how long before flipped the drain on and watched the pink water go down the pipes. 

What if she doesn’t wake up? I can’t imagine a world where she isn’t here. I know Lexie’s clueless, but I fucking love her…

I can’t think that she’s gonna die. She won’t, the doctors are gonna stitch her up and help her mentally too. She’ll be okay. She has to be okay.

~••~

I stared at Aleks’ wrists, wrapped up in cloth and laying by her side in the hospital bed. She could start having non-family members visit her now, and I came as soon as I heard. 

“I’m sorry…” She whispered so quietly that I barely heard her. “I should’ve told you about what was going on… I should’ve broken up with Madison.”

“Don’t apologize, darling,” I held her hand, careful of the bandages and cuts. “You never have to apologize to me about this, about Madison. I’m just glad you were okay...It was fucking terrifying to see you like that. I thought I was going to lose you.”

“I’m still here, Lee, always,” She lifted her other hand up to hold my cheek gently, wiping away a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen. “The doctors are gonna do a bunch of screening today and verify that I have depression. Then I can get meds and get better, okay?”

I nodded and leaned my head against Lex’s. “I’m so glad you’re okay…” I mumbled.

“Me too,” Lex whispered. “Me too…”

*Aleksandra’s POV* 

“So, you’re going to tell me how often you feel like the examples I’m about to give, okay? Never, rarely, sometimes or always.” The doctor clicked her pen and looked up at me. I nodded.

“You feel as though you can’t shut your mind off or stop thoughts rushing through your mind?” 

“Sometimes…” I looked down at my lap and tried to take deep breaths to calm myself. 

“You experience feelings of anguish or desperation?”

“Always.”

“You felt slower than normal, in your body or mind, for a noticeable period of time?”

“Sometimes.”

The questions went on like that for a while, totaling in probably more than 50 questions. Eventually, the doctor called Dad and Pops back into the room.

“Aleksandra screened positive for acute anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder 1.” She said, facing my dads. I bit my lips and looked down, not wanting to see their faces in case they were disappointed. 

“What can we do to help?” Pops asked quickly, and I looked back up to see Dad nodding along. 

“We can put her on medication, and if that doesn’t work, there’s other alternatives. As you already know, bipolar medications usually don’t work the first time around. It’ll be tough at first, but I’m very positive for Aleksandra’s future.” 

I smiled a little and felt my foot bounce against the hard hospital mattress. 

“Whatever it takes, kiddo,” Dad ruffled my hair and put his hand on my shoulder. “We’re here.” 

“No matter what?” I whispered.

“No matter what.”


	25. Milkoviches and Maybe Murder?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: luv ur fics <3 could u write one with the milkovich siblings all just treating Ian like their little brother too, like him and iggy and Colin friendships and stuff!!
> 
> I'm so sorry, I thought I posted this last week!! Better late than never though, right?
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Panic attack  
> Talk about rape  
> Talk about drugs  
> Talk about guns and being held at gunpoint

*Ian’s POV* 

Colin and Iggy stared me down, looking back and forth between Mickey and I. I swallowed harshly and grabbed Mickey’s hand under the table. We had just told them about our relationship, and I could tell they weren’t amused. 

“Listen,” Colin said, slouching over. “We don’t give a fuck if you’re gay or bi or if you’re a chick or any shit like that. At least, I don’t care, but I don’t think Iggy does either. But what about Terry?”

Iggy nodded along. “I’m happy for you, Mick, that’s not the problem. Terry… I don’t know man, you guys know how he is…” 

“That’s the reason I had to marry Svetlana,” Mickey admitted quickly and I looked over at him. Only us, Terry and Svet knew the truth about their relationship. It wasn’t the plan to tell them today, to tell them ever. “Terry caught us together and he got Svet to, quote un-quote, ‘fuck the faggot outta me’.”

“Fuck, Mickey…" Iggy let out a deep sigh. "He's locked up now, and Svetlana has a girlfriend. So I'm guessin all that shit's in the past?"

"Yeah," Mickey smiled. "Just the four of us raisin' Yev, it's kinda nice. A little too domestic for my taste, but nice."

Colin scooched over to the couch we were sitting on and put an arm around my shoulder. "Well then, welcome to the Milkovich family, Ian."

~••~

Colin came through the door as I fed Yevgeny, a wide smile on his face. "Ian! Look, I got you this gay flag for you to hang in Mick's room!" 

I bit back a laugh as I looked over at him. "Thanks Colin, that's uh…that's really nice of you."

Sandy came out of her room and stretched before walking over to me in the kitchen. "Coffee?" 

I motioned to a mug on the counter that I had set up for her. She nodded in appreciation and looked up at Colin. 

"The fuck you holding a lesbian flag for? I already have one, but thanks for the gesture if it's for me…" She gave her signature smile before taking a sip of her coffee. 

Colin looked down at the flag with a frown. "That asshole vendor told me this was a gay flag! Fuck!"

"I mean, it TECHNICALLY is a gay flag, just for women," Sandy laughed. "I can give it to Debbie if you want, and you can go back to get another flag."

"Not going back to that bitch vendor again," Colin sighed and a small "hmph" sound as he sat down across from Sandy and next to me. "The one time I try to do something nice for my family…” 

Iggy came waltzing in with a smirk on his face. “So, I saw Colin buying you and Mickey a gay flag, and I decided to return the gesture!” He held up a small lesbian pin. 

“Now THAT I don’t have, thanks Ig.” Sandy grabbed the pin and attached it onto her jean jacket. 

Iggy gave her a confused look and opened his mouth to talk before Colin explained. “It’s for lesbians, not gay dudes.” 

“Aw shit…” Iggy huffed and sat down next to Colin. “Well I hope you like the pin, Sandy.” 

“I do,” Sandy laughed and gave a big grin, showing it off proudly. “I’ll help you two find a flag for Mickey and Ian later today if you want.” 

They mumbled a quick thanks, obviously grumpy about getting the wrong flags. I shook my head and sat down next to them, starting a conversation easily. 

~••~

“He did WHAT?!” Colin yelled and ran out the door as Mickey cocked his gun. 

“He burned down the fucking Bamboo Lotus!” Mickey growled and I hobbled down the stairs to the backyard, trying to chase after them. 

“That pig fucker!” Iggy yelled and ran up behind us, loading a gun. 

“Guys, j-” I huffed, getting exhausted. “Just slow down, don’t do anything crazy!”

“Crazy?” Mickey laughed and stopped to turn around and stare at me. “Crazy is putting a gun to you kid’s head countless times just because he’s gay! Crazy is leaving your kids for years to use and sell drugs! Crazy is forcing your son to get raped and married at fucking nineteen years old! Crazy is burning down your son’s fucking wedding venue because you’re a homophobic prick that doesn’t have any regard for anyone but your GODDAMN self!”

Mickey had tears in his eyes, but he roughly wiped them away. Iggy slowly took the gun from him as he fell to the pavement. I went down next to him quickly, wincing as my leg hit the ground. 

“Mick…” I put my hand on his cheek and rubbed my thumb along his cheekbone. He shut his eyes tightly, and I could feel him tilt his head against my palm. “Let’s go back in the house, okay? You can’t risk your parole because of him.” 

“I know…” Mickey mumbled and opened his watery eyes. “I just don’t want him to ruin our plans yet again…”

“He won’t,” Colin assured us. “We’ll find a place. The Gallaghers, Sandy, Mandy, me and Ig. We’re the people who matter and care about you, not Terry.” 

Mickey helped me up, and we went back inside. He held my hand tightly the entire time we searched, until Iggy looked up with a grin on his face. 

“I found a place!”


	26. Cascading Failures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Could yoU do one with where they meet their daughters gf?  
> >> Could you do a prompt like Mickey and Ian’s daughter and her gf get caught my her homophobic mother and same thing happens to them like the scene in season 3 episode 6 and Mickey and Ian find out and Sandy too and they are pissed off lIKE PISSED, LIVID?
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Basically most things that happened in that episode (abuse, homophobia, guns, f slur, beating and blood)  
> Mention of Aleks' attempt

*Aleksandra’s POV* 

I felt myself tear up as Riley kissed the scars on my wrist. Most of them had faded, but the big ones that ran vertically down my forearms still showed. I hated how they looked, but Riley would always kiss them and tell me that it was okay. 

She moved up, kissing along my arms up to my neck. I sighed and felt my eyes flutter closed. Riley moved my head up gently so she could have better access, and started giving me a hickey. I ran my finger through her hair and moaned softly. 

Just as Riley finished pulling off my shirt, I heard the front door creek open. Her mom, Mary, was standing there, stinking of alcohol and her face red as a tomato. 

“What the fuck is this?!” She ran over and pulled Riley off of me by her shoulders. Riley yelped in shock and pain as her mom spat in my face and punched me firmly. I felt blood rush out of my nose and I held my hand over my face as she kept trying to punch me. 

“Leave her alone!” Riley screamed and jumped on her mom’s back. Mary flung Riley off of her and onto the couch. She turned around and kept pistol whipping Riley over and over again, and soon, I saw my girlfriend’s head roll to the side as her body went limp. Her face was bloody and the skin looked raw. 

I moved to push Mary off of Riley, but she pulled a gun out and loaded it. I froze and looked back and forth between Riley, passed out on the couch, and her mom. I bit back some tears and tried to keep a brave face on. 

“Sit back down,” She growled and nudged the gun to point at the opposite couch. “Now.” 

I sat down and stared at my hands, realizing they were shaking harshly. Blood from my nose and lip was still pouring down my body, staining my bra. I didn’t care about that though, not now, not when Riley was unconscious and bleeding heavily.

“Fucking faggot!” She screamed in my face, and started giving me the same treatment as she did to Riley. I felt my eyelid start swelling as my forehead dripped blood. I didn’t know what to do, it felt like I was stuck.

I closed my eyes and pretended to pass out, and Mary kept hitting me with her gun for a little while, but eventually I heard her leave. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and without looking, tried to text my dads. 

*Sandy’s POV* 

I took another chip from Mickey’s bag and he glared at me as I grinned. “Oh stop, you know you love me.” 

Mickey rolled his eyes and Ian laughed a bit. I felt my phone buzz as Ian turned on the TV. I went to check it and elbowed Mickey gently. 

“This some kind of code?” I asked, showing him the text from his daughter. “Olwase jelp nr?”

“I have no idea what that means…” Mickey frowned and grabbed my phone to text back. Ian looked over his shoulder and read Mickey’s text back. “Are you okay?” 

It got left on delivered. I bit my lip and looked back at the text. “Olwase jelp nr...maybe it’s all typos?” 

“What the hell would it say then?” Mickey huffed and sat up to reread the message.

“Please...please help me?” Ian whispered. My eyes opened widely and I stood up and started running out of the house. 

“Where the fuck is she?” I yelled at Mickey and Ian as they started running down the street. 

“Her girlfriend Riley’s house!” Ian shouted back at me and turned the corner. 

“That motherfucker better not have done anything to our Aleks.” Mickey picked up his pace and turned up to one of the houses on this street. He kicked the door in and the three of us ran inside.

I gasped at the sight and felt my face flush with anger. An older lady pulled a gun on me when I moved to Aleksandra. 

“Who the fuck are you people?” She said in a low tone. Aleks groaned and grabbed my hand gently. 

“We’re Aleks’ family, who the fuck are you?! Why is our daughter bleeding like that?!” Ian demanded and Mickey cracked his knuckles. The lady laughed. 

“You’re all going to hell...you fucking faggots, get out of my house!” She screamed and cocked the gun. I picked up Aleksandra, and Mickey picked up Riley as the lady kept holding the gun to us. She slammed the door shut behind us as Ian took off his jacket to put on Aleks. 

“Lexie…” Riley mumbled and started opening her eyes. 

“She’s right here, we got you both. You’re safe now, away from that fucking bitch.” Despite his cursing, Mickey used a soft voice to calm Riley down. She closed her eyes again and leaned against Mickey’s arm. 

As soon as we got back to the house, Ian went to grab the giant first aid kit he made after Aleks’ attempt a while back. Mick and I stayed with the girls, and I played with Lexie’s hair until she started waking up. 

“R-Riley…?” She mumbled, starting to open her eyes as she winced. I wiped the blood off of her face and neck and smiled at her sadly. “Hey sweetheart, it’s Sandy. Riley’s right over there, she’s been fading in and out of consciousness for a little while now.”

“I-It’s my fault…” Aleks mumbled and started crying. I held her close to me and rubbed her non-injured cheek. “I surprised her, but sh-she said that she didn’t kn-know when her mom would be home. If I h-hadn’t gone over there…” 

“This is not your fault, Aleksandra, I promise you that,” I looked at her and wiped one of her cuts that started bleeding again. “Riley’s mom is an absolute fuckwad, you can’t blame yourself for her choices.”

“Riley will be okay, right…?” Aleks looked up at me with big, watery eyes. 

“Nothing more than a couple stitches on her forehead,” Ian chimed in. “There was a large laceration on her left temple, but I sewed ‘em up. She should be all fine physically now. I patched up your cuts too, but luckily, they weren’t as deep.”

“We’re moving up your therapy appointment to tomorrow, okay kiddo?” Mickey told Aleks, and she nodded gratefully.

Riley groaned and tried to sit up across the room. Aleks quickly moved over to her and held the back of her neck gently.

“I’m right here, Riley. We’re safe now,” She whispered, giving Riley a chaste but sweet kiss. “We’re safe.”

~••~

*Alekandra’s POV* 

I looked at the small scars that covered Riley’s face and the one big scar going across her forehead. I brushed my thumb against them and sighed.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you…” I whispered. 

“It happened to you too, you know. You don’t have to put me first, I’m okay physically. And I don’t have to go back to my parent’s house, not after your dads offered me their guest bedroom. I’m safe here, remember?”

“I know it’s just...it terrified me to see you passed out, bleeding like that. I never want your mom, or anyone, to hurt you again.” I brushed back a stray hair and kissed her. Riley kissed back and smiled when she pulled away. 

“They won’t. And if someone does, I know I have a family to turn to.”


	27. Hold On, Darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Can we have a mpreg mickey and someting happen to him when he is pregnant and he is and the baby in danger
> 
> Just another thank you about all of the prompts! Sorry they're coming out a little late, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless!!! 
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Car crash  
> Medical talk and hospital settings

*Ian’s POV*

“You serious, Gallagher?” Mickey laughed as I handed him the receipts for our getaway. “We’re going to fucking Florida?” 

“We never got to go visit the beaches in Mexico, remember?” I grinned bashfully. “Next best thing. Besides, the next couple months are gonna be busy after you have the baby.” I nodded to Mickey’s stomach, which was showing the baby bump pretty obviously. 

Mickey grinned at me and looked back at the reservations for the hotel. It was a really nice place, and our room had an amazing view of the ocean. The plan was to drive down there on Friday after work until we hit the border of Georgia and Tennessee. We'd sleep in a sleazy motel for the night, then get to Palm Coast around midday. 

The motel was awful. There were bugs, and the bed was hard as a rock, but it didn't matter. As long as I was with Mickey, I was happy. Besides, it was just one night and I knew the hotel would make up for it. Since our honeymoon got interrupted by Terry shooting at us, I made sure to get a honeymoon suite. The manager said he would give us breakfast in bed for free every morning.

I grinned at Mickey, who looked up from his phone to smile back at me. I turned back to the busy road. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone on a different lane lean his hand out the window. He was holding a beer bottle, and I rolled my eyes. 

"Asshole…" I mumbled and focused my attention back on the road. The guy with the beer started speeding up and I could tell the gate wasn't going to stop them. Mickey and I stared at him as he tore down the gate, and I gasped loudly when I felt the impact of him rear ending us. My head banged against the steering wheel and blood dripped down my forehead. 

“Mickey?" I looked over, trying to see if he was hurt. His entire body was flung out the windshield, bleeding out over the hood of our car. “Oh my god, Mickey!”

He groaned and tried to push himself up, but quickly fell back down. Glass shards covered his front, and I couldn’t help but scream loudly when I saw the blood pooling under him. Cars were pulling over, and I heard someone calling 911.

"K-Keep your eyes open, o-okay Mickey? You're g-g-gonna be okay, just s-stay with me." I grabbed his cheek and let out a short sob. 

There was a giant piece of glass that was embedded in his thigh, and I saw him reach to pull it out. I stopped him, scared that it would do more harm than good. I smoothed back his hair and kept crying. 

“It’s okay, y-you’re gonna be okay M-Mick…” I cried and tried to get him off the car. He passed out in my arms and I let out a loud sob as his head flopped to the side. The ambulance arrived and they put him onto a stretcher and into the giant vehicle. 

I felt my hands shake and something wet dripped onto my face. I wiped it off with the back of my hand, and realized it was blood. Shit, I forgot about that…

One of the EMTs helped me into a different ambulance and I barely registered as she covered up the cut with some gauze. She kept giving me sympathetic smiles, but I couldn't bring myself to care whether I was mad or grateful.

“Is Mickey gonna be okay?” I asked quietly. “My husband, the other one in the crash. He’s pregnant, 24 weeks. C-Can the baby survive?” 

“We'll have to see the extent of his and the child’s injuries when we get to the hospital,” She explained slowly. “There’s a chance that your husband can keep the baby to full term. If he goes into labor during the operation, or if the baby is in distress, he’ll have to have an emergency C-Section. Babies at 24 weeks need very extensive care to make sure they don’t die, so we’ll do everything in our power to make sure that your husband doesn’t have the baby today.”

I felt my face scrunch up in an attempt not to cry again. I didn't want to lose them, I COULDN'T. After everything we've been through, starting a family seemed like it was all finally over. Moving on from our own shitty parents, and becoming amazing parents instead to our kid. 

But now, Mickey's unconscious in the back of an ambulance, only in his second trimester of pregnancy. I felt my heart break at the thought of losing Mickey or the baby.   
By the time the ambulances had pulled up to the hospital, I was in such a bad state of distress that I couldn't understand anything that was going on. I saw doctors in paper gowns roll Mickey into the ER, and back into a private room. 

"Sir, can you take some deep breaths?" The lady that patched me up waved in front of my eyes and I felt myself almost come back into my body. My breathing was quick and unsteady, so I tried to slow it down. 

Eventually, I had calmed myself down. The lady stitched my forehead and left, but I wasn’t sure how long ago she left. It felt like an eternity as I waited for an update. Any time a doctor in a surgery gown came out to the waiting room, I perked up. It usually wasn't about Mickey though, and the one time it was, they just needed me to tell them if he had any allergies to medicines or latex. I shook my head no and slumped back down in the chair. 

Hours passed, and I waited, getting more and more anxious. Finally, a doctor finally came over to me and smiled softly. 

"Mr. Milkovich?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head. I nodded quickly and stood up. "Your husband, Mickey is in recovery right now, and he should wake up soon. The surgery was a success, but he'll need to stay in post-OP for at least a week. We want to make sure that he's healing properly, and that his vitals remain stable."

I let out a heavy sigh and felt my chest lighten. "Wh-What about the baby? Mickey was pregnant, is the baby okay?" I asked, relieved for Mickey, but still scared about our kid.

"Your baby boy's a fighter, that's for sure," A different doctor stepped forward and smiled. "He's in the N.I.C.U. right now, and we have eyes on him at all times. He weighed in at 1 pound and 7 ounces, and he's 13 inches long.” 

That’s so small...all of the parenting books had said that they’re at least 5 pounds and 19 inches. All I wanted to do in that moment was cuddle up with Mickey and our kid, and embrace the fact that we’re all still here.

I felt guilty though. Mickey had to have surgery, and our little guy had to be born so early. Me? I got a cut on my head that only needed a couple stitches. It wasn’t fair to Mickey or the baby. 

“When can I see them, either of them?” I asked and heard my foot tapping nervously on the floor first before realizing that I was doing it. 

“You can see Mickey right now, he’s in room 3129. As for your baby, we’ll need to see how well he’s doing first before anyone can touch him. You will be able to see him though, if you would like.” 

I nodded and thanked them, then headed quickly up to Mickey’s room. He was just laying there, an IV in his arm and a finger clip to measure his heart rate. I sat down in the chair next to him and held his free hand. 

It hurt to see him like this… I just want him to be okay. His face looked sickly pale and his hair lay flat and greasy. I couldn’t stop myself when my eyes got watery, and the tears started falling one by one, then all in a rush. He grabbed at my hand and mumbled something. 

“H-Hey Mickey…” I smiled sadly and squeezed his hand gently. “I’m right here, we’re okay. They got all the glass out of you, and they saved the baby. He’s a boy.” 

Mickey grinned up at me and reached up to hold my face in his hand. “Cute...Atlas.” 

“Hmm?” I asked and brushed the hair out of his face. 

“I wanna name the kid Atlas. Dunno, I just think it’s a nice name.” He mumbled, slowly fading back into unconsciousness.

“You could name the kid Mickey-Ian Gallavich II for all I care. You’ve been through so much to have this baby, you deserve to name him whatever you want.” Mickey sighed in content and fell back asleep. 

We spent the next couple months like that, making sure the baby was okay and Mickey’s stitches were healing nicely. We had a room for Mickey, and eventually, Atlas started being able to stay with us there. 

He was the cutest little baby ever, he didn’t cry much but he would pout all the time. He would give Mickey and I these cute puppy dog eyes, and we couldn’t help but smile. I could already tell that his little face was going to get him out of so much trouble when he’s older. 

“Ready, Gallagher?” Mickey put a onesie on Atlas and picked him up. 

I looked back at the place where I had been sleeping for the past 6 months. I smiled at how barren it looked, knowing that our real home was waiting for us a short drive away. Mickey put his arm around my waist as I moved Atlas into his baby bjorn on my front. 

“You bet your ass I am.”


	28. True to Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Maybe could do one where their daughter comes out to them?
> 
> It's a little on the shorter side, sorry about that 
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> Mentions of Aleks' attempt

*Aleksandra's POV* 

I wrung my hands together and tapped my foot against the floor. Riley grabbed my hand, stopping me from pulling on my fingers. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead. 

My dads were going to get home any minute now, and I was planning on coming out to them. I told my therapist first, then Riley, and then Mason. They were all so understanding, and I knew Dad and Pops would be supportive, and that they wouldn't get mad. 

I heard the front door unlock and I tensed up. Riley squeezed my hand as I felt my heart rate pick up quickly. 

"Whatcha guys doin over there?" Dad glanced over at us. "Awfully quiet, what's going on?" 

"I wanted to talk to you..." I mumbled and Mason nodded at me from across the room. 

"What's going on?" Pops sat down on the chair next to where I was sitting. "Are you getting some...bad thoughts again?" 

"No, no, nothing like that," I gave them a reassuring smile and Dad sat down on the arm of Pops' chair. "You guys know that I'm queer, that's pretty obvious." 

I laughed and Riley let out a small giggle. "I'm uh... I'm non binary. I want you guys to use she/her or they/them pronouns for me please, i-if that's okay with you..." 

I started to get less confident the more I talked, and I felt tears prick the back of my eyes by the time I had finished speaking. 

"That's okay, kid," Dad shrugged. "I really don't care. I mean, if it's gonna make you comfortable, I'll fucking do it, y know?" 

"Agreed," Pops grinned at me. "Are you gonna change your name?" 

"Aleks and Lex are okay, maybe just not Aleksandra and Lexie...?" I said quietly. 

"Of course! Sounds good to me." Pops said, and Dad nodded along. 

I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh and smile. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest, knowing that they'll use the correct pronouns and that they aren't mad. 

Riley kissed me again and I put my hand on her cheek, content. "You did really good, Aleks, I'm proud of you." She whispered against my lips. 

I grinned and waved off my parents and Mason as Riley and I walked to my room. 

"If you're gonna fuck again, lock the door this time, okay?" Dad called after me. I felt my face flush red and Riley laughed beside me. 

"Alright Dad..." I mumbled and locked the door behind me.


	29. Life's Too Short To Even Care At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hiii, I love your writings! I was wondering if you could do one where Ian and Mickey daughter have a really bad breakup with her girlfriend/boyfriend (which ever one.)and the get all protective? Xx
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Talk about Aleks' attempt
> 
> Title from "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant

*Ian’s POV* 

I heard the front door open, and I turned over to greet Aleks. Their face was covered by a hoodie and they stormed into their room. 

“Lex?” I left the coffee pot on the counter and walked over to her room. “What’s going on, kiddo?”

“N-Nothing,” She said in a frail, breaking voice. “Just leave me a-alone, Pops…” 

The lock clicked, and I bit my lip, not wanting to offend them. “Can you come out of your room at least? You know I don’t like it when you’re locked in your room with the bathroom right there…” 

“I’m not g-gonna fucking attempt again, Ian. Just g-go away!” They yelled and I heard footsteps stomp away from the door.

“Hey!” I knocked on the door loudly. “I get that you’re upset, but DON’T call me Ian, okay?” 

“Sorry, IAN.” They huffed as loud music played blasted through the walls. 

Mason walked up to me, panting and out of breath. “I ran home from the high school as soon as I heard, I knew it would be faster than the bus. Aleks drove home without me, are they okay now?” 

“What are you talking about, what did you hear?” I asked him sternly.

“Madison Edwards threw a smoothie on Lex and called them a bitch and beat them up,” He said quietly, not wanting Lex to hear probably.

“Why the fuck did she do that?” 

“I...that’s not my place to say…” Mason looked down and picked at his fingernails. “You should talk to Aleks though, sooner rather than later.” 

He walked into his room and gave me a small smile before closing the door behind him. I sighed before knocking on Lex’s door again. 

“Please let me in… I just wanna talk, make sure you’re okay.” I said softly. 

Aleks opened the door, and I could see tears streaming down their face. “I’m s-sorry for calling you Ian…” She whispered and threw herself into my arms. Surprised, I paused for a minute before hugging them back tightly. 

“It’s okay, I know you were upset,” I rubbed her back and led her to the bed. “Do you wanna tell me what happened?” 

“Madison threw a drink on me...she called me some rude things and then she beat me up…” Aleks admitted. They moved away to wipe their face with makeup remover.

Once the concealer was off, I saw bruises scattering across their face. I took in a deep breath and nodded. “Do you know why she did this…?” 

“W-We used to date…” Aleks admitted slowly. “When I attempted a-and a couple months b-before that. Today, sh-she told me that she w-wished I had succeeded…”

My face flushed red with anger, but I tried to hide it for now, not wanting to upset Lex even more. “You know that nobody else thinks that, right?” 

Lex stayed silent, staring at the ground. “If it had worked, I-” I felt my voice crack. “Fuck kid, I don’t know what we’d do. You have so many people that love you, we would’ve been devastated.” 

I hugged her tightly and tried to blink away the tears. I didn’t want to think of a world where Aleks had succeeded. 

“I’m not gonna try again, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Aleks mumbled. “It just hurt, y’know?”

“I know,” I nodded and kissed the top of her head. “Look on the bright side though. That fucking bitch means nothing to you anymore, you’ve got your family and Riley and your friends to prove her wrong.”

Lex smiled up at me and hugged me again. “Thanks Pops.” 

That night, when Mickey got home, Lex admitted everything to us. How Madison had been forcing her to send pictures, and lose weight, and was ultimately the one who pushed her to attempt. I bit the inside of my cheek trying not to curse out Madison. 

“She’s not gonna bother you anymore, okay?” Mickey said in a very determined voice. “I’ll teach her what happens when she messes with my kid.” 

He started standing up, but Aleks stopped him. “It’s okay, I can handle myself at school. It just feels better to talk to you two, actually tell you the truth.” 

I smiled and messed up their hair. They grinned up at me and hugged Mickey and I tightly. “We’re here for you Lex, always.” 

“I know,” They whispered and rested against Mickey’s shoulder. “I love you.” 

“We love you, too.”


	30. Simple Touches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Could you do lesbian gallavich
> 
> I've been waiting for an excuse to write out this idea I've had for a while, so thanks for giving me a reason to do it lmao XD <3
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Mentions abusive parenting

*Lillian's POV* 

"Fuck you! I'm the better looking ginger!" Debbie yelled at me and I laughed. 

"Are you kidding me? You may be sexy, but I'm ATTRACTIVE." 

"Same fucking thing, dicknips!" Sandy threw her hands up. 

"Ey!" Mikayla pointed her finger at Sandy. "Don't call my girlfriend dicknips, whatever the fuck that means.” 

Sandy flipped her off with a smirk. "Whatever, we're the better Gallavich pairing!"

"In your wildest dreams," I laughed. "Trust me, we've been together longer, we're married, Mick's here for me no matter what AND we fuck more!"

"Lillian Clayton Gallagher, I assure you that you do not fuck your girlfriend more than I do." Debbie scoffed.

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty," Lip walked in and sighed. "Now please shut up before you wake Fred, okay? Jeez…"

I gave Debbie and Sandy another playful glare before huffing loudly and walking away. Mikayla picked me up and carried me up the stairs.

"Look how romantic I'm being!" She whisper-yelled back at Sandy.

I giggled and rested my head on her shoulder. "My knight in shining armor, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, save the big speech about how I went soft, Ian," She rolled her eyes and grinned. “I’m just tryna prove that we’re the better Gallavich.” 

“Mhm, I toootally believe that.” I laughed and hopped out of Mikayla’s arms to open our bedroom door. She chuckled and shook her head, closing the door behind us.

“Well even if Debbie and Sandy claim to be better, I’ll always love you more than any other couple could love each other.”

“And you DON’T want me to say that you’ve gone soft?” I teased and kissed her gently. “I love you too, Mick.” 

She ran her hand through my hair and kissed me again. I sighed quietly and moved us onto the bed. “You’re really amazing, you know that?” 

Mikayla shook her head and traced her thumb across my cheek. “No way in hell that you’re less amazing though.” 

I put my head on her shoulder and pulled the blanket over us. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, and I felt myself fall in love all over again. 

“Have you ever thought about kids?” I whispered as I nuzzled my nose against Mick’s.

“You fucking with me?” Mikayla laughed and kissed me quickly. “Lily, baby, I love you, but seriously? Kids? I’d fuck em up just like Terry did with me. Trust me, you don’t want to have kids with me.”

“Hey,” My eyebrows furrowed and I held her cheek tenderly. “Don’t say that. You’re nothing like him, Mick, and you’d be a great mom.” 

“You really think so…?” She looked up at me and smiled widely. “Like actually? Not just saying that to be cute and shit?” 

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m not just saying that. If you don’t want kids, that’s okay, I just don’t want you to be scared.” 

“I’m not scared,” Mikayla said softly. It wasn’t in that gruff, defensive way she used to say that phrase. It wasn’t an act, something to keep her walls up. “I just don’t want them to have a shitty life, y’know?” 

“I know…” I admitted and looked down. “And I get it. We don’t have anything to worry about though, right? We’re our own people. Our parents can’t control us anymore. It’s okay.”

Mikayla gave me a toothy grin and kissed me, long and delicate. “You’re right. Of course you are, you’re usually right about this shit.” 

“Fine,” Sandy huffed and walked into the room. “I didn’t hear most of that, but it was goddamn fluffy as hell. For today and today ONLY… I’ll allow you two to be the cuter Gallavich couple.” 

“We’re still the winners most of the year, though!” Debbie piped in.

I laughed, shaking my head. “Yeah, yeah, okay, believe what you want.”


	31. Nothing But Skin and Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: OMG!! I would love to see more of ian with an ED since its never talked about on the show  
> Prompt: Ian with an ng tube (in ED recovery)
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Eating disorder and weight loss  
> Talks about cutting 
> 
> Happy holidays everyone!! And if you don't celebrate, then just have a good day!! :)

*Mickey’s POV*

“Hello?” Ian said in a groggy voice over the phone. 

“Hey, Firecrotch!” I grinned and leaned back on my hotel bed. My parole officer’s making me do this stupid thing about ‘life after prison’, to try and help the prisoners leaving soon. I’m in Colorado now, all because I mouthed off to some supervisors at work. Luckily, I didn’t have to pay for the flights though. 

“Mick, hey! Sorry I sound so...blah, I just woke up.”

I frowned and looked at my clock. It was 4 in the afternoon here, so isn’t it 5 there…? Am I mixing up the times? Maybe it’s 5 in the morning there, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“You just woke up?” I asked, a little nervous. He hasn’t slept in this late since his bipolar meds were off. He would tell me if something was wrong...right? 

“Yeah, I’m not feeling 100 percent right now. It’s alright, Mickey,” 

“Gotcha,” I nodded along. I didn’t think that he was lying exactly, but I know he wouldn’t tell me the whole truth to make sure I wasn’t worried. “You’ll tell me if it gets worse, yeah? I can send Mandy over if you need, like, chicken soup or some shit.”

“I’m really okay, Mickey,” Ian laughed quietly. “I’ll text you with updates about how I’m feeling, but I’m kind of worn out. I think I’m just gonna relax for the rest of the day. I love you, bye!” 

Before I could answer, Ian ended the call and I stared down at my phone. Something was definitely off with him, but it’s probably just a stomach bug or the flu. I’ll tell Mandy to check on him later, just in case. 

Ian just needs a little while to rest, then he’ll bounce back.

*Ian’s POV*

I bit back the tears and hung up on Mickey. I couldn’t keep lying to him, it felt like I was betraying his trust. Technically, I never lied, I’m really not feeling well. I just happen to withhold that I haven’t eaten in 4 days, that when I do eat, I throw it up, that I started cutting again months ago. 

I feel horrible for lying to him about my mental health. The truth is, my mental health has been shot. I couldn't stand the way I looked, and I just wanted to get skinny. I wanted to look good for Mickey. At least, that’s what I said at first.

I told myself it was just to look better and get healthier. But then my weight loss app told me I hit my ideal weight, and I restarted the app to set my goal lower. Then lower, and lower, until the app said it was too low. Now here I am...lying to my boyfriend and starving myself. If I could eat, I would, but it feels too impossible. Until I absolutely HAVE to eat, I won’t, and even then, it’ll be a small meal.

Of course I was upset when I learned that Mickey would be out of the house and traveling for at least a month. It’s nice to not have to pretend to eat every night though. Nobody ever comes to the house, so I don’t have to hide.

I stretched out on the mattress and sighed. It felt cold without Mickey here, and I frowned to myself. He’s been gone almost a week now, and I didn’t exactly enjoy it. Yeah, I was able to be more open about my body with nobody home, but I was having more nightmares. More nightmares means more cutting means less food. 

My eyelids felt heavy, despite having just woken up a mere half hour ago. I yawned, pulled the blanket up past my shoulders, and fell asleep quickly

~• Three weeks later •~

I groaned when my phone started ringing, waking me up. I saw Mickey’s contact pop up on my phone, along with a picture of us at our wedding. I pressed decline and brought the blanket up even further. My entire body felt sore, and I couldn’t bring myself to pep up for Mickey.

I shivered and grabbed another thick blanket to put over myself. My breathing was heavier than normal, but I really didn’t feel well enough to care. At this point, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help myself. I don’t even remember the last time I ate, or even tried. 

“Ian?” I heard someone pounding on the front door. If they think I can get out of bed, they’re out of their goddamn mind. “Ian, it’s Mandy. C’mon, Mickey’s fucking worried, and he’s getting me all worked up too. He says you’re not answering any of his calls.”

Her voice faded in and out, just like the black dots swarming my vision. I wanted to answer her, really, I did. I just don’t have the energy…

“Ian, I’m gonna break the fucking door down!” Mandy’s voice cracked, and my heart beat out of my chest. She can’t see me like this, what would she say? Fuck, what would she tell Mickey?

“Three...two...one!” I heard a loud bang from outside, and Mandy’s footsteps ran towards my door, her boots crashing on the hardwood floor. Fuck, she’ll be so disappointed, everyone else will be, too. 

“Mandy, don’t come in…” I mumbled, knowing full well she couldn’t hear me. 

Black hair and pale skin flashed through my vision, but the black dots got bigger and bigger, until I couldn’t see anything. I felt the blankets get pulled off me at one point, and a lot of gasping and yelling from Mandy. I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t what it looked like, and that she didn’t have to worry, but honestly, what excuse could I make up right now?

I know my ribs were showing a bit, but was it really that bad? I mean, I’m half unconscious right now, so that kind of speaks for itself. Was I stupid for letting it get this far? I just want to control some of the pain.

I heard sirens in the distance. Did Mandy call an ambulance? Why the fuck would she do that? This situation really isn’t that bad, so I don’t understand what the big fuss is about. Then again, we’re in the Southside, so it’s a little presumptuous of me to assume that the ambulance was for me.

That’s the last thing I remember before passing out. 

*Mandy’s POV*

He’s practically skin and bones... how didn’t I know about this? Mick’s been away for almost a month, and he joked around with me to keep Ian safe while he was gone. It was just a joke, but it still had some truth to it. And now Ian’s in an ambulance, and I’m riding behind it on the way to the hospital. 

He didn’t even register when I got in the house. If he was awake, or could hear me, he didn’t show any signs of it. Besides the unsteady rising and falling of his chest, I would’ve thought that Ian was dead. He looks the part, and he acted it too.

My phone buzzed on the seat beside me, and I glanced over to see who the text was from.

Mickey.

He’s going to be so scared. I’m right here with Ian, and I’m scared out of my mind. I can’t imagine what Mickey’s feeling, being all the way in California by now. I grabbed my phone and looked at the message.

8:39 PM  
idiot brother #1: so?? fucks up w him??

8:40 PM  
You: idk he wont open the front door

8:40 PM  
idiot brother #1: break down the fucking door i dont give a shit

8:42 PM  
idiot brother #1: hello?? mandy whats going on??

8:43 PM  
idiot brother #1: mandy tell what the fucks going on

8:45 PM  
idiot brother #1: fuck cmon answer me 

8:47 PM  
You: He's in the avocado I’ll update you sun  
I looked at my phone and rolled my eyes. Fucking voice-control messes everything up.

8:47 PM  
You: ambulance 

I heard my phone buzzing non-stop, but I couldn’t look away from the road again. We were almost at the hospital, I can text him then.

“Please be okay Ian…”

*Ian’s POV*

My eyes fluttered open, and I squinted in the bright room. My throat felt tight and sore, and I coughed as soon as I took a deep breath in. I closed my eyes again and tried to calm down, but everything seemed to flood my senses. It was too bright, and too quiet, and too different. 

I forced myself to sit up, but immediately got stuck on a yellow tube running from behind me into my nose. “What the fuck…?”

“Shit, Ian,” Mandy ran up to me and hugged me tightly. I winced, and she backed off. “Don’t scare me like that again, asshole!”

Her eyes were glassy, her nose was red, and I could tell she had been crying. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it firmly. “What happened?” I asked quietly, already dreadfully aware of the answer. 

“Mickey wanted me to check on you…” She started, refusing to look me in the eyes. “You were like a stick, Ian. You were dying, and I called an ambulance. They lost you for a second, and I felt my heart shatter. I thought you were gone.”

I looked down at my hands, which were fidgeting with the thin hospital sheets. “I-I’m so sorry...I didn’t want it to go this far, I just wanted to control some of the pain. I deserve it anyways.”

“Do you seriously think that?” Mandy’s voice wavered. “You could never deserve pain, especially not pain like this.”

I stayed silent, unsure of what to say. I hated seeing Mandy distraught like this.

“Mickey should be here soon,” She checked her phone. “He said he would get here around noon. He got the first flight back home two nights ago, but the weather delayed his plane.”

“Two nights ago? I’ve been out for a whole day?” I mumbled mostly to myself, before doing a double take. “Wait, Mickey knows and he’s coming?” 

“Of course Mickey knows, this sent you to the fucking hosptial. I mean, they had to put this tube in so that you would get nutrients and you wouldn’t almost die again”

“It’s really not that bad…” I whispered and tried to stop tears from streaming down my face. 

“Stop trying to pretend that you’re okay!” Mandy yelled at me in a hushed voice, tears falling openly down both of our cheeks now. “I watched you die, Ian! I watched the monitor flatline, and you went limp, and I thought you were gone for good! So don’t try to justify this or say that it’s not that bad!”

I held her close to me, and she sobbed against my chest. “I don’t want to lose you…” She mumbled against my paper gown. 

“You’re not going to,” I promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The door flew open, and Mickey and a doctor I didn’t recognize came in. My breath caught in my throat and he ran towards me, joining the hug with Mandy. 

“Fuck, Ian…” He kissed me fast and cupped my head in his hands. “You scared the shit outta me.”

“I know, I’m so sorry,” I brushed my forehead against his as Mandy backed away to talk to the doctor. “I’ll try to get better.”

“Mandy said you cut yourself too,” Mickey brushed back a strand of my hair. “When did that start up again?”

“A couple months ago…” I admitted quietly. 

“You know you can always talk to me, right? I’m here for you, no matter what. Even if we’re fighting about some dumb shit, and I seem like I don’t want to talk, you can always come to me about this kind of thing.”

I nodded and felt myself start to cry again. “O-Okay…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” The doctor butted in and stepped closer to my bed. “But I have to do a visual examination to make sure you’re okay. If you have any questions, now’s the time to ask them.”

“O-Oh, okay...um, what’s this tube?”

“This is a nasogastric tube, it runs from your nose to your stomach to help deliver nutrients and other vitamins into your system. We’ll take it out in a couple days, but we needed to get you those extra calories as soon as we could.”

“How many calories?” I asked, trying to stay calm, albeit I was freaking out on the inside.

“We don’t like to disclose that information to the eating disorder patients,” The doctor gave me a sympathetic smile and checked the heart monitor. “We noticed that patients tend to become more agitated and nervous if they know.”

I nodded along as she continued her checkup. I guess that makes sense, but it does make me a little scared. I try not to go over 1,000 calories a day, but even going about 750 makes me feel guilty. 

Eventually, the doctor left, saying that she would be back later to take out the tube and give me some food.

“I really am sorry…” I mumbled after a minute of silence. Mickey ran his thumb against my check and Mandy held my hand tightly. “I didn’t want to scare you, I didn’t want it to get this far…”

“It’s okay, we’re not mad,” Mandy reassured me. “We just want you to be safe.”

“We’re going to be here for you, no matter what, okay? No matter what.”

I smiled at Mandy and kissed Mickey gently. “I’m gonna try to get better, I want to feel better. A-And it’ll probably take a while, but I’m going to try my damn hardest.”

“We love you, Ian.” Mickey whispered against my cheek.

“I love you too.”


	32. I Need You Here With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Please do one with mickey and ian talk about working at the club and ian talking about how worthless he felt. About how he thought he was only a body for other people to use (maybe mention the warm mouth comment in s2). Something along those lines!?! (idk you can edit it however you like). Anyway love your writing.
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> Sexual scenario/talk (not smut)  
> Talks about sexual assault   
> Self confidence/worth issues  
> Slight self harm (scratching)  
> Panic attack
> 
> Title from "Here With Me" by CHVRCHES

*Mickey’s POV* 

I groaned as Ian moved down towards the bottom of the bed and pulled off my underwear. I grabbed a handful of his hair, tugging softly as something wet touched my thigh. 

“Christ, Ian, be careful with the lube,” I laughed and looked down. Ian had tears streaming down his face as he started going down on me. I pulled him off gently and looked at him worriedly. “Woah wait, Ian, are you okay? What’s going on, babe?”

Ian pulled his head away from my hands and started jerking me off slowly. “I-I’m okay, I want to make you f-feel good.” 

“C’mon, you’re upset,” I moved his hand away from me and rolled on my underwear as Ian scooched up to the top of the bed. He wiped his tears away roughly and looked down at his lap. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” 

I rubbed his back, but he flinched away at first, and I could see that he was shaking a little. “Why...why do you d-do this?” 

“Do what?” I said in a low voice and kissed his shoulder. 

“This, being a-all affectionate… I’m just a whore.” 

I froze at that. He’s never said anything like this before, minus the occasional joke which always ends in a dramatic, ironic lap dance for me. It was always just that though; a joke. 

“What are you talking about…?” I asked quietly and kept rubbing his back. 

“I’m worthless, besides being a fucking whore. I do pole dances and lap dances and I wear that skimpy outfit... why would you want to date someone like that?” 

“Because I love you, Ian. Whether you wanna be a dancer or a stripper or a hooker, I don’t care. It doesn’t mean you’re a whore, or a slut, or anything like that.” 

“Slut’s a good name for me, I hadn’t thought of that one yet,” Ian whispered, almost to himself, but I still caught it. “Th-Think about it though, Mick. I’m nothing but a warm mouth.” 

My voice caught in my throat. I had said that to him, so many years ago, but it still obviously affected him.

“Ian, listen to me, okay?” I tilted his head gently so that he was looking at me. “I said that when we were kids. I was angry at the world for not letting me love you, and angry at myself and my family, but I took it out on you. I’ve always loved you, known it since Mandy brought you home to play video games and cuddle. I was so pissed that she got to you first. And then you said she was your beard, and I swear to you, I knew I would put a ring on you eventually.”

Ian shuddered against my hand and more tears were falling across his freckled cheeks. He shook his head. 

“I-I love you too, b-but that doesn’t mean I’m not a hustler. I’m just for other people to use, y’know…? It’s my job to pleasure them, it doesn’t matter if I don’t like it or if I say no or tell them to stop.” 

My eyebrows flew up my forehead when I processed what Ian had just said. “They do that? They keep going?”

Ian looked at me and started crying heavier now as he nodded his head. “Y-You think I’m a sl-slut now, r-right?” 

“No, no of course not,” I said in a hushed voice, trying not to show my rage. “You’re the furthest thing from it. You’re so strong for having to endure that every day at work, and I promise, you won’t have to go through that again.”

“Wh-What do you mean…?” Ian wiped his nose on his sleeve and looked over at me.

“They won’t rape you anymore, I won’t let you get hurt there, okay?” 

Ian surprised me by frowning and shaking his head. "Mick, it’s not rape if I’m getting paid for it. They go a little rough, yeah, but once they pay, they’re allowed to do anything they want.”

“Ian, that...no, that’s not true. Once you said stop and they kept going, that’s sexual assault.” 

Ian paused for a minute, refusing to say anything. He looked back down, staring at the blanket and picking at a small hole. 

"I tell them I'm just a dancer," He finally whispered. "And that I have a husband, too. They tell me that I should sell my body though, that I'm the best looking guy there and that you wouldn't mind. And I try to tell them I'm not interested, but they bring me to one of the back rooms for the hookers. Tell em I'm just a stripper. Tell them no, they don't listen, don't listen."

Ian's breathing was getting frantic and his foot tapped against the mattress harshly. He moved his fingers from the blanket to his wrist, scratching at the skin there roughly. I pulled his hand away from his wrist and took in an exaggerated breath. 

"Just breathe, Ian, you're safe here. They can't hurt you, okay? Deep breaths, yeah? Follow me, match me." I held him close to me, knowing that pressure helps his panic attacks.   
As I hugged him tightly, I felt wet droplets fall onto my shoulders and back, and Ian apologized quietly and repeatedly. I assured him it was okay, and kept holding him. 

It took a while for Ian’s breathing to slow down, but eventually he had calmed down. “I promise that I told them…” He whispered against my chest. “Every single time, I would tell them about you. I made sure they knew I had a husband and I didn’t want to do anything.”

“I know that, Ian, I know,” I ran my hand through his hair and kissed the top of his head gently. “I don’t blame you in the slightest, okay? I could never blame you for this.” 

Ian nodded and hugged me tightly. “M-Maybe we can just cuddle for the rest of the night…? I know it’s cheesy, but I need it right now…”

“Of course we can, darling,” I kissed him again even softer. Normally, this much sweetness would give me a cavity, but I know Ian needed me right now. “I’m right here for you, always.”

Ian gave me a small smile and moved up closer to the chest. I ran my hand down his back until I heard quiet snores coming from him. Tomorrow, I’d call Fairy Tail and let them know what was happening.

But tonight, all I wanted to do was stay here and keep Ian safe.


	33. Bad Reputation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: can you do one of franny got bullied at her school. Then asks Mickey to take her to school the next day because she knows his reputation. Ultimately taking steps necessary to insure her reputation and popularity. (She thinks he’s awesome). Btw no one knows about it until they realize the looks they are getting.
> 
> CW:  
> Talks about getting bullied  
> Guns

*Mickey's POV* 

"These are from me okay? Only me, your favorite uncle!" I held up the gun towards Franny and flipped Ian off. 

"Yay, guns!" My niece's high pitched voice chimed in and she threw her tiara on the floor. 

"Guns!" I yelled and passed Franny one of the guns. 

"That is not a princess gift!" Debbie scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest. 

"Tough titties." I rolled my eyes at her, then turned back to Franny with a wide grin. 

"Let's play!" She started walking away, nearly tripping on her dress. 

"You got it, kid." I followed behind her and unlocked the back door. I set up some empty beer cans and walked back to Franny. 

"Now I can protect myself against all the meanies at school!" She squealed as she tried to figure out how to open the chamber. 

"Oh yeah?" I did the step on my gun with ease, making sure she could see it. "Who's being mean?" 

"This girl, Ashley," Franny huffed and copied my move. "She says I'm ugly like a frog and that my hair's a bad color." 

"Frogs are fucking adorable, first of all. Second, redheads are so cute. I married one, and Sandy's into your mom. Once you start dating, everyone will be all over you." I loaded the amo in and clicked the safety off. 

"I dunno, Ashley has a lot of friends and I don't have any..." Franny tried to repeat what I did, but she fell behind as I took a shot at the old beer can. 

"Well, you have me, right? And your Uncle Ian and Uncle Carl, Uncle Liam, Uncle Lip, Aunt Tami, Aunt Fiona, and your mom and Sandy." 

"Not the same as friends at school," She dropped her gun carefully on the ground, even though it didn't have any bullets in it. "Can you bring me to school tomorrow? Maybe I'll get some friends if Mommy isn't there, the other mommies don't like her very much..." 

I picked up her gun and mine, and smiled at her. "Alright, sounds like a plan, kiddo. Right now, we gotta get you in bed or else your mom will murder me in my sleep." 

"Nah, you'd take her down in a second." Franny hopped up the stairs to the house, and I couldn't help but laugh at the small girl. 

The next morning, she was up bright and early, tugging on mine and Ian's sheets. 

"Uncle Mickey!" She whispered not-so quietly. "It's time for school, I'm dressed and ready!" 

"Go eat some cereal," I groaned and pulled the sheets up to my chest. "I'll be down in a minute." 

Ian was still sleeping peacefully next to me by the time I finally started getting up. I kissed his forehead softly and slid out of bed, careful not to wake him. 

I pulled on a clean tank and some sweatpants, then gave Ian another smile before stepping out of the room. 

"Alright Franny, you ready?" I walked down the stairs quickly just as the small girl put her dirty bowl in the sink. 

She nodded quickly and put on her pastel pink backpack. I held her hand as we walked to her school, and as we got closer, Franny's smile got wider. 

I led her up to the parking lot of her elementary school, and some of the kids around us stopped to stare. Franny wrapped her arms around me and smirked. 

"Thank you MICKEY MILKOVICH! You're the best UNCLE in the whole world!" She yelled out loudly. The kids who hasn't noticed us yet were now staring, bug-eyed with their mouths to the floor. 

I looked down at Franny. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes and I couldn't help but laugh. 

"Sneaky girl..." I ruffled her long hair and she gave me a cheeky grin. She skipped away into the building, hands tightly holding the straps on her backpack. Even before she walked through the front doors, I saw kids walking up to her. 

"That kid's going places..." I laughed to myself and started on the walk back home.


	34. Highlight of My Lowlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Can you do one where ian does become a mistress to mickey while he is married to Svetlana and chooses to not come out?
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> homophobic slur  
> panic attack  
> Terry being a shit dad
> 
> Okay so I'm rewatching Shameless with my friend (it's their first time watching it) and literally??? How did I forget Nika??? She was Svet's girlfriend in season 5 and the two of them + Mickey and Ian raised Yevgeny together???? I love this plot how did I forget-
> 
> Title from "Lowlife" by That Poppy

*Mickey's POV*  
  
I traced my finger against Ian's chest as he kept snoring softly. Svetlana was taking care of Yevgeny over at her girlfriend Nika's place, so we had the house all to ourselves.  
  
We made a deal after Yev's baptism. In front of Terry, we were a happily married couple. Truthfully, we weren't even sleeping in the same room. Ian and I got my room, and Svet and Nika stayed in Iggy's old room when they slept over here. Colin's room was turned into a nursery, and so was Nika's guest bedroom.  
  
It was all worked out.  
  
Except for the fact that none of us could be ourselves. In front of each other, sure there was a fuck ton of PDA. Outside these walls, we couldn't even hold hands.  
  
Ian and Nika were upset, hell, we all were, but they didn't complain a lot. Especially after Lana started teaching Ian Russian, and the three of them would have long conversations just to tease me.  
  
Ian's eyes started opening slowly, pulling me out of my thoughts. He yawned as he put his arm around me and pulled me into him. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him gently.  
  
"Yev up yet?" He groaned, stretching a bit.  
  
"Nika and Lana took him back to her apartment." I explained, still pressing kisses along his neck.  
  
He smiled fondly and ran his hand down the low of my back. "Good, I want some time for just us."  
  
I hummed and pressed another kiss against Ian's lips. When I pulled away, he was smiling at me with stars in his eyes.  
  
"You really are amazing, you know that?" He mumbled as his lips curled up the slightest bit.  
  
“Don’t go all sappy on me now, fucker.” I grumped and rested against his chest.  
  
“Says the one who just attacked me with kisses,” Ian laughed and ran his hand through my hair slowly. “Can...Can I ask you something?”  
  
I turned my face up to look at Ian and nodded. “What’s up?”  
  
"Do you ever think about what if we could be free outside these walls?” He kept playing with my hair, biting his lip nervously. “I mean, Terry controls our lives. We can’t be true to ourselves…”  
  
“Ian, what you and I have makes me free. We may not be able to show the world yet, but being with you? It reminds me that there's still good in the world,” I frowned and pulled the gray sheets further up our bodies. “You, uh...you’re okay with this, right? You’re not gonna leave me or some shit?”  
  
“Never,” Ian kissed me slowly and pulled me closer to him. “I just want to make sure that you’re feeling okay. I know how hard this is on you…”  
  
I ran my thumb against Ian’s bare chest and smiled. “As long as I have you, I’ll be okay.” He brought his head down to kiss me, and I couldn’t help but smile.  
  
“You know he’s wrong,” Ian mumbled softly against my lips. “Right?”  
  
“Who, Terry?” I matched my eyes with his forest green ones. “I guess…” Ian sat up and gave me a puzzled look. I sighed and kept going. “I mean, I know he’s an asshole. Some of the things he said… I don’t know, they stuck with me. I guess I kinda believe some of it.”  
  
A chill went down my spine and I curled into myself slightly. I didn’t like talking about Terry. In this fucking neighborhood, I could’ve been considered lucky to have him as a dad. I shouldn't have the right to complain.  
  
“Mick…” Ian whispered, frowning softly. “Like what…?”  
  
I shrugged and brought my knees to my chest, moving the slightest bit closer to Ian.  
  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Ian noticed my movements and pulled me into his arms. “I know it’s hard, I know... you can let it out, darling.”  
  
A year ago, I would’ve pushed him away and called him a faggot for being all lovey-dovey. _‘Kiss me and I’ll rip your fucking tongue out.’_ Fuck, that was one of the first things I said to him after we got together… I called him _‘just another warm mouth’_...  
  
I felt tears prick my eyes, stinging me with pressure building up behind my eyes. _‘Don’t be a pussy.’_ Terry’s voice ran through my head, echoing through the empty air.  
  
“Fuck…” I mumbled and rubbed my face harshly, fierce enough to cause red streaks to flare up on my pale skin. Ian pulled my hands away gently and started swaying me soothingly.  
  
“You’re okay, Mickey...deep breaths…” Ian massaged my shoulder tenderly and kissed the top of my head. My breathing evened out, and I wiped away some stray tears, much softer than last time.  
  
“Fuck did you learn that?” I huffed out a laugh.  
  
“Debbie used to get nightmares,” He explained quietly. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I think so...I mean, as okay as I can be,” I laughed again, trying to make light of a dark situation.  
  
“We don’t have to worry about Terry anymore,” Ian kissed me and gave me an understanding look. “I’ll fucking make out with Nika if it’ll keep him off our backs.” I held the back of his neck and kissed him.  
  
“No way in hell I'm letting you do that, these lips are reserved for me.”  
  
“That’s perfectly okay with me.” Ian smirked and moved in to kiss me again.


	35. I'll Find My Way Back To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Loved this! Can I request something about Mickey finding Ian and Monica in 5x11 and for once talking about his feelings until they both realize that the “person who loves you for who you are” is him? Thank you!
> 
> Sorry I haven't posted in a while, school's been a bitch- I'm trying to get out some new chapters this week though, so hopefully I won't keep y'all waiting again. Enjoy!!

*Ian’s POV*

“People like us, we can be happy!” Monica smiled at me and bounced on the heel of her foot. “I love him! And that’s the most important thing, to find somebody to love, right? Who loves you back for who you are!” 

As mad as I was at Monica’s boyfriend, I couldn’t help but think of Mickey. Why did I leave him? I finally got him back, and now we’re separated again. That’s because of me this time, it’s my fault. 

I felt all of my anger and frustration dissolve as Monica hugged me tightly. I didn't have the energy to wrap my arms back around her, but I smiled at her for a second before heading back to my makeshift bed of blankets and pillows. 

For someone as unstable as my mom, she did have a point. Maybe I just needed to go back to Mickey and apologize for everything. I was just as unstable as I said my mom was, and I had been so mad at her for that… it'll take a miracle for Mickey to take me back. 

I fell asleep that night with memories of Mickey on my mind, and nightmares about him leaving swarmed through my vision in my sleep. That's just what I did to him though, more times than I can count. 

I stretched and got used to the bright shine of the sun for a second, before I heard voices arguing outside the trailer. I moved the blankets quickly, ready to sucker punch Monica's bastard boyfriend if he wasn't treating her right.

Once I open the trailer door, I realized that it wasn't Monica's voice talking, it was two guys' voices. One of which I immediately recognized. 

"Mickey…?" I said softly, confused and overjoyed. "What are you doing here…?"

"Picking up your dumb ass, but this bitch won't let me get in."

"It's my property!" Monica's boyfriend yelled, squeezing his fists tightly. 

"It's a fucking piece of land with a dinged up trailer, get off your high horse. I'm just here for Ian and then we'll go, okay?" 

He scoffed and cracked his neck. "Be outta here in 20 minutes, got it? Or I'll fucking beat your asses." He got back into the trailer and slammed the door behind him. 

"Ian, we're gonna head home, okay?" Mickey walked towards me and put his hand on the back of my neck. I leaned into his touch and smiled. 

"We're gonna go to the clinic, and get you meds. You need them, and I don't care how long you're out of it, how many times you run, any of that. I'm staying with you, sickness and health, all that shit."

"It's you…" I mumbled mostly to myself, a smile etching it's way onto my face. 

"Course it's fucking me, what's that supposed to mean?" Mickey's eyebrows furrowed and I could see the confusion and worry in his eyes. 

"Monica, she said I had to find someone who loves me for me," I whispered, meeting Mickey's eyes and grinning. "It's you…"

"Again, of course it's fucking me," Mickey shook his head the slightest bit in disbelief. "You think I haven't loved everything about you since the first time I laid my eyes on you? I mean, at first it was just your looks, but then I really got to know you… I love you, Ian."

"Mickey Milkovich, actually talking about his feelings?" I couldn't help but tease him as I ran my fingers through his tangled hair. 

"Oh yeah, says the motherfucker who literally ran away from his problems and hitchhiked with his deadbeat mom? Yeah, okay, make fun of me now, see what'll happen."

I grinned and kissed Mickey, tears welling in my eyes. "I missed you…" I mumbled and pressed our foreheads together. 

"Missed you too, Ian…" He sighed against my lips. "Had me fucking scared to death."

"Sorry," I blushed with embarrassment and pulled my eyes away from his. "I didn't mean to make you worry about me…"

"It's not your fault, you just need some medication, alright? You'll try the pills?" 

I nodded and kissed Mickey again before he pulled away and walked to his car. I watched him walk away, feeling happy for the first time in a while. 

"You comin, Firecrotch?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm coming."


	36. (One Look at Those) Broken Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts:  
> -Mandy and Ian being best friends  
> -Iggy being protective over Ian  
> -the milkovich siblings in general being protective over Ian, maybe something about how they literally all love him, (literaly cause Mandy, Mickey, etc)
> 
> This chapter is basically a set up for a part 2, which will mostly have the prompts
> 
> Sorry I haven't been updating much! I joined 2 new clubs and my schoolwork has been pretty much doubled. Hopefully nobody's too upset! Some prompts flow more naturally than others and require less research, so I'll be doing the prompts out of order to get more stories out sooner. Sorry for the inconvenience!! Love y'all!!
> 
> TRIGGERS:  
> attempted sexual assault  
> victim blaming himself  
> panic attack

*Ian’s POV*

“You really don’t have to make a big deal about it…” I mumbled quietly, almost to myself. Mickey was pacing around the room, running his fingers through his greasy hair and scoffing.

“Some geriatric fuck almost rapes my boyfriend, and you want me to stay calm?!” He yelled, making me flinch. Mickey noticed and came down to my eye level from where I was sitting down on our bed. 

“You know I’m not mad at you, right? I could never be mad at you about something like this. I’m fucking pissed at that dickwad who tried to hurt you!”

Mickey’s anger came back tenfold as he kept processing what I had told him about my shift at Fairy Tale. He continued his fast pace around the room and his lips tightened with rage. 

“He didn’t go any farther than that?” Mickey double checked. “He stopped at taking your clothes off?”

“He grabbed at me, but the other workers came in and pulled him off me…” I recalled, picking at the skin around my fingernails.

Mickey nodded and grabbed his phone, texting someone quickly. “You know who the guy is?” 

“No...but the club has all of his information because he was banned,” I tilted my head slowly to one side. “Mick, you’re not going to go after this guy, are you?”

“He went after you, didn’t he? Fucking hurt you?”

I looked down at the hand-shaped bruise on my arm and tried to will the tears flooding my eyes away, nodding. “Yeah…”

“I’m not letting him get away with that, Ian. I’m gonna call up Iggy and Colin and Mandy, and get them involved. We can lie and say it happened to one of the other dancers, but that guy is getting the pain he deserves.”

“Mick…” I mumbled, looking back down at my fingers. 

“You tryna defend him?” Mickey said in disbelief.

“N-No! It’s just…” I sighed. “He’s not worth your time… just be grateful that it didn’t go any further and ignore it. That’s what I’m doing...” 

“Ian, it doesn’t matter that he didn’t go ‘all the way,’ he still attacked you and hurt you!” Mickey was getting more and more upset by the minute.  
“I just want to forget it ever happened and move on…” I shut my eyelids tightly, but the image of the guy crawling on top of me was burned into my eyes. 

“Ian, you need to look at me, okay?” Mickey whispered to me as I kept shaking my head. My breathing was picking up and hot tears rushed down my cheeks. “Deep breaths, darling...it’s okay, he’s not here anymore.” 

“Fuck, why can’t I just be cool about this?!” I rubbed the tears off my face and blushed bright red. 

“Ian, what you went through was awful, nobody expects you to bounce back perfectly in no time. It’s okay…” Mickey wrapped his arms around me and helped me lean back against the pillows behind me. I yawned and curled up closer to my boyfriend, suddenly more tired than I have been in years. I didn’t even resist the darkness as I fell into a dreamless sleep. 

*Mickey’s POV*

As soon as Ian’s head hit the pillow, his eyes closed gently and soft snores filled the room. I put on a stone cold face to bite my tears back, and grabbed my phone from the dresser counter. Ian let out a quiet whine when I left, but I immediately went back to spot and kissed the back of his neck. 

“You’ll be okay Gallagher… I promise…” I mumbled next to his ear as he fell back asleep. My phone dinged, and I looked down at the response to my text. 

2:57 AM  
You: anser when u can its importont  
3:01 AM  
dumbass sister: fucking illiterate bitch  
dumbass sister: what do u want its like 3am  
3:06 AM  
You: ian got hurt and i want the guys and i to get back at the asshole tht hurt him  
3:07 AM  
dumbass sister: shit for real?? is he ok??  
3:07 AM  
You: honesltly? i dunno he seemed realy upset and he blamed himself basicaly  
3:08 AM  
dumbass sister: ill be there ASAP just make sure he doesnt start showing signs of an episode okay??  
3:09 AM  
You: obviusly bitch im not that dumb  
You: see u in the mornin?  
3:11 AM  
dumbass sister: ofc 

I checked the other texts to Colin and Iggy, finding them unread. They’re probably either passed out or screwing some random chick from a bar, but either way, they’ll answer in the morning. We may not have had the greatest relationship in the past, but we’re trying to fix that. 

“Mick…?” Ian grumbled beside me as I stared up at the ceiling. I turned to look at him and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah bub?” I asked quietly, leaning closer to him again.

“Thank you…” He flipped himself over so that his face was resting against my chest. “You’re a good husband…” 

I smiled down at him and tears pricked against my eyes for the second time this night. I never wanted him to go through this, and I knew how shady Fairy Tail could be. I swear, that motherfucker who thought he could rape my Ian has another thing coming if he thinks he can get off scot free. Just wait.


	37. ...and I'm Mesmerized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 for the last chapter!
> 
> TRIGGERS:   
> physical abuse  
> child abuse

*Mickey’s POV* 

“You got the stuff?” Iggy hopped out of his car and pulled his hood over his head. 

“Of course I fucking have the stuff, this isn’t my first rodeo, asshat.” I rolled my eyes and cocked the gun in my hand.

“Hell, isn’t even the first time he’s doing this with us,” Colin laughed to himself and shut the trunk of the black van. “So what, we threaten the guy, rough him up a little?” 

“Yeah, I can’t risk my probation if I shoot him and the cops find out, even if he’s still alive after. We can sure as hell make sure he pays for what he did to Ian though, and any other guys he attacked.” I pulled a ski mask over my face and ran to the house, hunched over and hearing two pairs of light footsteps behind me. The only lights around were the dim, flickering street lights spaced apart. 

Iggy sidestepped in front of me and picked the front door’s lock with ease after years of practice. There was a quiet click and he pushed open the door, giving me a toothy grin.

“And we’re in.” He smirked at Colin and I. Gun first, we went into the house and upstairs, checking all of the rooms as we went. The floorboards creaked under us and I cursed under my breath as one of the hallway lights turned on. 

Fiery red hair peeked around the corner downstairs. A boy, no older than 8 or 9, was there, looking absolutely terrified. I cursed again, louder this time. 

“Wh-Who are you…?” He asked, biting his bottom lip and picking at his fingernails. They were painted black, and chipping badly. “A-Are you friends with m-m-my dad…?” 

“Not in the fucking slightest…” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“We can’t hurt the kid,” Colin whispered. “That’s not right, he didn’t do anything…” 

“Yeah, I fucking know, but what do we do?” I answered back in a harsh, hushed voice. “Hey kid, your dad home right now?” 

The small boy shook his head quickly and his feet started tapping against the floor quickly at the mention of his father. “H-He left a while ago...he d-does that, and then he doesn’t come back for days. H-He’ll get back home drunk and then h-h-he’ll hurt me again.”

I froze and turned to my brothers. Even with the ski masks on, I could see their worried expressions, and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. 

Terry.

“Why don’t you come closer, bud?” Iggy started walking down the steps and the kid flinched away. He shook his hair and long bangs fell over his eyes. “I’m not gonna hurt ya, I promise. See? Mask off, you can see me, I’m not lying.” 

Iggy took his mask off in a second and kneeled down to the kids level once he reached the bottom step. Colin and I followed close behind him. The boy came closer and turned on the light to the room that he was in. He pushed his soft, copper hair away from his face, and we could all see a painful looking, purple-blue bruise forming under his left eye. His eyelid was pretty much swollen shut. 

“How many people know your dad?” Colin asked quietly, trying hard not to scare off the kid. “Does he have friends over a lot?” 

The boy shook his head again. “Sometimes other guys come o-over at n-night, but they always leave in th-the morning…” 

“Okay...hey I’m pretty thirsty, would you mind getting me a glass of water?” I asked, smiling to seem more approachable. 

“A-Alright.” The kid left to go to the kitchen, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of empathy for him. 

“Fuck are we gonna do?” Iggy sighed and turned around to face us. 

“I’m thinking we bring him to a shelter or some shit and just kill the dad when he gets home. Nobody’s gonna miss him, we’ll be doing the fucking world a favor.” I tried to conceal my anger so I don’t scare off the kid when he comes back. 

“I got nothing better to do for the next couple days, I’ll stake out the place and call when the douchebag gets home.” Colin took off his mask, and so did I.

“You really don’t think anyone will notice?” Iggy asked, zipping up our bag with the guns and knives in it.

“Look around the place, Ig,” Colin scoffed. “It’s a shitty, run down apartment on West 79th Street. All we gotta do is kill him and stick a needle in his arm, nobody will blink an eye. Just another overdose.” 

“H-Here’s your water, m-mister,” the small kid waddled back into the room, and I saw him limping the slightest bit. “Um...wh-why are you here…?” 

“Well, we’re...we’re from The Department of Family Services!” I took the chipped glass cup from him and smiled again. “We got an anonymous call saying that your dad is mistreating you. So how about we take you away from him, yeah?”

“He w-won’t be mad…?” 

“He won’t ever find you again, kiddo.” Iggy grinned and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I-I would like that a w-whole lot, misters!” The boy giggled and came over to give me a big hug. The tips of my ears heated up quickly and I hugged him back tightly. 

“Let’s get you home, okay?” I mumbled against the top of his head. He nodded quickly, and I picked him up, resting him against my hip as Colin and Iggy grabbed the go-bags. 

“So what’s your name, buddy?” I asked as I put on his seat belt in the backseat and got on the other side of him.

“S-Spencer,” He looked up at me and grinned. “What’s y-yours?”

“My name’s Mickey, and that’s Iggy and Colin.” I pointed up front as they waved back at Spencer. He stayed quiet for the rest of the car trip, only talking to mutter under his breath. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he never raised his voice to repeat anything. 

When we got back to mine and Ian’s house, Mandy’s car was in the driveway. She had come the morning after the incident, probably leaving almost immediately after we finished texting that night. She and I had been comforting Ian and taking care of him until Colin and Iggy showed up, and we left to go to the apartment. 

“Hey kid, we-” I turned to get Spencer, but he was fast asleep. I smiled at him and unhooked his seat belt before picking him up and carrying him into the house.

“Hey Mickey!” Ian perked up before giving me a small frown. “Hey random sleeping kid…”

“It’s that asshole’s kid. We didn’t know what to do with him, he’s obviously being abused.”

“We can’t bring him to DCFS, those foster homes are shit. He’ll just get tossed around, you and I know as good as anyone.” Ian sighed, looking at Spencer. 

“We can keep him here for now, right? There’s no other option where he won’t get hurt.” I brushed back his bangs, getting a better view of his injured eye. Ian gasped quietly and I heard him let out a shuddering breath. 

“Yeah, he can stay here. When he wakes up, we’ll make sure it’s okay with him and fix up that eye of his.” Ian gave me a sad smile and Mandy stood up behind him. 

“I’ll set up the pull out couch, get some blankets and stuff. Iggy, Colin, help.” Mandy said forcefully.

“Fuck that, I want chips.” Iggy sat down on the chair and grabbed an open bag of potato chips.

“Iggy, fucking help! Ian and Mickey need to be alone, dumbass!” Mandy grabbed him by the ear and pulled him off the chair as Iggy whined and slapped her hand away. 

“You’re clueless, Iggy.” Colin rolled his eyes and followed the two of them.

“Hey Mickey…?” Ian sat back down on the couch once I had put Spencer down. 

“Yeah?” I perked up.

“You remember on our wedding day, when we were tying each other’s ties? And we talked about kids...you said-” 

“I said ‘there’s plenty of strays wandering around the neighborhood.’” I grinned and played with Spencer’s hair.

“Maybe this is the one that we can pick up…” Ian kissed my forehead softly and wrapped his arms around me. “Just some food for thought.”

“We’ll have to see what Spencer thinks, but I wouldn’t mind…” I felt my heart practically beat out of my chest at the thought of raising a kid with Ian. 

“Well whatever happens, I’m staying right here, Mick,” Ian nuzzled his head under my chin and ruffled Spencer’s hair. The small boy smiled in his sleep and nudged himself closer to us. “Kid’s cute, y’know. Feel bad that his dad is so shitty.”

“That’s just us Ian, cute with a shitty dad.” I cracked a smile as Ian rolled his eyes and laughed.

“You’re an idiot, Mickey Gallagher...” He sighed and kissed me again. 

“You are beautiful, Ian Milkovich.”


End file.
